The Grimm's Rose
by DravynLeCrux
Summary: Ruby Rose, known as one of the most promising freshmen in Beacon Academy. The Rose whose thorns could tear any Grimm. Her friends, family, and team; there was nobody prepared for what takes place during a routine Beowolf hunt. Now, with Ruby's life, and sanity, on the line, what will become of our young huntress? Will Beacon's Rose wither here? Rated T for some profanity.
1. Wilting

***Author's Note***

**Hello there. My name is Dravyn LeCrux. This is a new story of mine. A project that had been brewing in my head for a long while, I recently managed to get some inspiration from a couple of other Authors and their stories, which let me fully put this idea together, and bring it to fruition. 'We Will Kiss Our Burning Bridges', written by Wolfpoet, and 'The Shade Of A Secret' by rwbybomb21. If you have read these stories, then you have a general idea about what this story will be about, albeit with my own flavor of crazy thrown into the mix. If you haven't, check 'em out. They're good reads.**

**Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this story. I may or may not keep it going, depending on how you guys like it/ receive it. So, without further ado, I bring you my newest project, 'The Grimm's Rose.'**

_It does not matter how strong we are. In our weakest moments, when we have given up, darkness will take a hold of our hearts. Once touched by darkness, we are forever changed. But it is up to us how this comes to change us. _

"HIIIIIIIIIII! WAATCHA! HOOOOOO!"

Making funny little kung fu notices was one little huntress, named Ruby Rose. Ruby, who stood around five and a half feet tall, was by far the shortest freshmen to enter Beacon Academy that year, as well as the youngest. Her hair, which with its short-styled cut that fell to just above her shoulders perfectly framed her face, was a crimson so deep that one could almost mistake it for black. Her eyes, however, were her most striking feature. A silver so pure and bright that one would swear her eyes were made of the precious metal. Eyes so mysterious, yet captivating in their beauty.

Whooping cheerfully as she and her team cut through some dozens of Beowolves, one would find it hard to imagine her personality fitting with her style of dress. Garbed entirely in black and red, with silver crosses adorning her belt and red cape/hood, most would assume Ruby to be a Goth, not the perky young girl she is. But regardless, most tend to see her as cute. At least until she brings out Crescent Rose.

Crescent Rose was Ruby's "sweetheart", the mechanical bastardization of an anti-material sniper rifle and a large scythe. This weapon was infamous in Beacon; partly due to how difficult scythes are known to be when attempting to master, and partly because of how the sinister looking tool leaves an impression on most who see it. Despite having only been in school a month, her weapon was well known.

Said weapon was currently cutting through a pack of Beowolves as though they weren't even there. Every swing perfectly controlled by her small, trained muscles. Every arc of the scythe taking yet another Grimm's life. Every pull of the trigger, every shot let loose from this fearsome weapon acting as the requiem for yet another Beowolf. While her teammates were amazing, and quite capable of causing as much destruction as Ruby, none of them were doing quite like she was. Since she could fight, humans were never her opponents. She had trained hunting Grimm of many types, giving her almost a sense of ease around them.

Today was no different.

The Beowolf pack, which had been living inside of the Emerald Forest, was becoming a nuisance to the teachers. So for today's lesson, Professor Port decided that a hands on approach was better suited to teaching, and made the assignment thus: Kill as many Beowolves as possible. So the class was taken into the Forest, and let loose to hunt to their heart's content. But as luck would have it, a large pack had found Team RWBY rather quickly, leading to the current brawl. But with most of the opposition nearly finished, the team began to loosen up. Only when the other Beowolves began to shudder did they realize something bad was coming.

Coming into the clearing was a sight that Ruby and her friends will never forget. Standing over three meters tall, and covered with more bony plates than a Boarbatusk, was the largest Beowulf any of them had ever laid eyes on. It easily qualified as an Alpha Beowolf, a rare kind of Grimm with a level of intelligence comparable to that of a young human. That is to say, it could reason, and think. On top of the intelligence was a level of strength far exceeding those currently under its command, and in its very presence the Beowolves became bolder, more bloodthirsty.

"Yang, Weiss, Blake, hold off the rest of the pack. I'll handle him!"

"Ruby, wait! That thing is huge!"

"Listen to your sister for once you dunce!"

Ignoring Yang and Weiss' pleas, Ruby charged at the Alpha. Seeing no other choice, Weiss, Blake, and Yang focused on taking out the others, covering Ruby and keeping the mooks from interfering. Meanwhile, Ruby's only goal was to incapacitate and kill this Alpha. If she could, she would be able to possibly improve the Beowolf situation in the forest in one swift strike.

Facing Crescent Rose behind her, Ruby fired off, using the shot to boost her speed and send her flying at the Alpha. Only, while a normal Grimm would have been cut apart, this one was smarter, faster, and stronger than normal Grimm. Before she had struck, the Alpha caught Ruby's scythe on its forearm which, covered in the bony plates that it was, remained unscathed by the attempt. Not letting this stop her, Ruby turned Crescent Rose around using the barrel as a fulcrum, Ruby fired, and used the recoil to turn her scythe around in a massive arc, attacking the Alpha's other side. It worked, as Ruby felt the blade dig into the soft spot between the Alpha's bony plates. The Alpha's cry only confirmed her thoughts.

Pulling her Sweetheart from the Alpha's ribs, Ruby retreated a few steps, putting some distance between her and the target. The Alpha simply stared at her, the usual darkness in its eyes making way for something more feral and violent. But Ruby had no fear. She couldn't fear, because she knew she was the best. Spinning Crescent Rose around, she planted it business side down towards the Alpha. Cocking the gun, seemingly as a taunt of sorts, she loaded a round into the gun. And she fired. And fired. And fire. Round after round left the barrel, burying themselves into the Alpha's plating. Despite the hardness of a Grimm's plates being on a different level than most materials, repeated fire from a weapon meant to tear through the strongest of defenses as well as being infused with a highly concentrated dose of aura, was enough to break down such heavy defenses. Ruby was rewarded with the Alpha's cries of pain, combined with a shattering noise that was the plates on the stomach shattering, black ichor seeping from the wounds it had sustained. With a loud, defiant howl, the Alpha fell.

"Whew, that was a thing, huh?"

Turning back to her teammates, Ruby saw that they had pretty much cleaned up the rest of the pack, as not a single Beowolf seemed to be standing still. Blake seemed a little alert, keeping an eye out for any more that may come. Yang was kicking around a few of the corpses. And Weiss as trying to catch her breath.

"Aww yeah! We're so awesome together. Go Team RWBY!"

"Heheh, calm down little sis. Come over here and get a move on. We have to get back to Professor Port and report on the situation."

"Coming Yang!"

'_**RROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRR!'**_

"Aaaah! Help! Help me!"

Her team could only look on in horror as the Alpha that Ruby had just completely dominated got back from wounds that should have killed it twice over, and clamped its great jaws around Ruby's left shoulder and neck. Reacting first, Yang sped of like a bullet, reaching her sister with speed so immense, one could mistake her as having the same semblance as Ruby. Without hesitating, Yang reared her fist back, and let loose into the Alpha, separating him from Ruby and sending him flying several meters back. Getting down to assess her sister, Yang left the Alpha to Blake and Weiss.

The damage was severe. Large, jagged marks made two crescents along Ruby's shoulder, one in front, and the other in the back. Blood was flowing profusely from the wound. And, looking a little closer, Yang noticed the Alpha's own black, oil-like blood in the wound. The blood must've come through the Grimm's ruptured internal organs through the mouth, and gotten into her sister's system when the Grimm bit her. But Ruby still had a pulse, and despite being weak, she was still breathing. Not caring for anything else, Yang took off towards the school grounds, leaving behind her partner and her teammate to finish off the Alpha.

What transcribed over the next several hours could only be described as chaos. At the gathering spot for the students and the teacher, Yang burst through the tree line, covered in her little sister's blood, and holding her broken little sister in her arms. Frantic and crazed, the sight of Yang was enough to put nearly every student present on guard. The only ones unphased by her appearance were team JNPR, friends of Ruby's and her team. They were more concerned for the young girl in Yang's arms. Pushing aside anyone in her way, Yang ran straight to Port. Assessing the situation, Port responded with the authority and experience befitting of a hunter of his caliber. In minutes, Ruby was on her way to the infirmary, the nurse on duty having been informed of the situation via scroll. Not only that, but a general recall of the students was issued, and the headmaster had been informed of the situation. And feeling honor bound, Port accompanied Ruby to the infirmary, showing concern for her wellbeing.

When the last of the students had mustered back at the forest, they headed back to the school. The atmosphere was heavy. Ruby was known as an incredibly skilled huntress in the making, having stopped Roman Torchwick and been scouted to Beacon two years early by Professor Ozpin himself no less. Not only that, but despite her socially awkward nature, her cheerful attitude and outlook had gotten quite a lot of the students to like her. Seeing her in such a broken state, bloodied and carried like a corpse by her older sister who was in hysterics, had left quite a few of them shaken.

The members of JNPR, who could not help but fear for her safety, were worried more than any of the others, except maybe Weiss and Blake. But their leader, Jaune Arc, no doubt worried more than just about anyone, except perhaps Yang. Ruby was his important friend. In the time he'd known her, she seemed, to him at least, to be the embodiment of what he believed a hunter should be. She was his first friend a Beacon, and also his closest. Closer than anyone on his team. He looked up to and respected her, despite being older than her by a solid two years. This was quite jarring for him.

But away from the students who were returning to the school grounds, the infirmary was like a scene out of a warzone. The nurse was scrambling back and forth, gathering antiseptic and peroxide to clean and disinfect her wound, as well as clean bandages and dressing to wrap it up. Blood transfusions had to be performed, as Ruby had lost enough blood to leave her in shock. Blood was all over the floors, and staining the white sheets a deep crimson. Ruby's blouse and hood were torn and frayed, the damage having been extensive due to the sharp teeth that had torn at her just a short while ago. And by her bedside, not leaving even as the nurse dressed the wounds, was Yang. Her favorite outfit covered in her younger sister's blood, and even her usual golden locks stained a bright scarlet, Yang's only attention was on the small girl before her.

The nurse had finished what she could for Ruby.

"It's up to her now. If she's as strong as I hear, she should be able to recover." Yang heaved a sigh of relief, to which the nurse delivered the rest of her news. "Make no mistake, Miss Xiao Long, your little sister is not coming out of this the same as you knew. These kinds of events can take their toll on a young person's psyche, especially at her age. How this will affect her, well I don't know."

Looking to her little sister, worry plain on her face, Yang could only stare silently, praying to whatever Gods or Goddesses she could think of. Ruby was her precious little sister. This could not be happening. Not, it just couldn't.

As Yang was despairing, Professor Ozpin, and Miss Goodwitch, entered the infirmary. Ozpin was different from his usual calm self. Despite hiding it rather well, close acquaintances of his could tell that he was greatly disturbed by what he had just heard from Port. Looking at the now sleeping girl before him, a blood transfusion currently taking place, Ozpin could not help but feel concerned inside.

"Miss Xiao Long, I would like to talk to you."

"Can this wait?" Not even bothering to look up from Ruby, Yang responded. Despite how calm it may have sounded, there was an unmistakable venom in her tone.

"No, Miss Xiao Long. It cannot."

"What is so important that you want me to leave my sister's side?"

"I want to inquire about what happened in the forest. What you tell me could be of help to your sister." Keeping his clam façade up perfectly, Ozpin spoke thus to Yang. At that moment, through the infirmary doors came Weiss, Blake, and the members of team JNPR. Ozpin beckoned them over, and nodding to Yang, began to walk out. "Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna, would you please follow us?"

Taking the three out, Ozpin and Glynda got the details of the event from the trio. But upon getting to the part about examining Ruby's injury, Ozpin grew pale. As Yang explained how she saw the shards of tooth and the Grimm's blood in the wound, Ozpin's face started to lose its façade, and a visible look of panic seemed to come over him and Glynda.

"Nurse! Nurse! We need Miss Rose put into restraints as soon as possible!"

""""""""What?!"""""""

All present, including the rest of WBY and JNPR were shocked at what Ozpin had just ordered the nurse to do. Not only that, but he had been freaking out when he gave the order, his usual calm lost and replaced by obvious panic.

"Whoa, what the hell are you doing to my baby sister!?"

"Miss Xiao Long, this is not the time to argue. If what you said about the Grimm's blood getting into Miss Rose's system was true, then we have to restrain her as soon as possible!"

"What? Why?!"

"I'll explain afterwards!"

After this, Ozpin, Glynda, and the nurse got around to strapping Ruby's arms down to the bed, securing her to the bed. After making sure she couldn't move, even if conscious, Ozpin led the seven young hunters out to the hallway to explain what was going on.

"Miss Xiao Long, and Mister Arc, what I tell your respective teams must not be disclosed to other students at all, do you understand me? This is vital to Miss Rose as well." Getting the seven of them to give their word on the matter, Ozpin continued. "If what you said about the Alpha's blood getting into your sister's wound is true, then your sister is in serious trouble. Grimm are, by nature, creatures without a soul, as you all know. Their very existence is the antithesis to ours, and ours to theirs. As such, our aura is capable of dealing immense damage to the Grimm, due to their weakness to our souls. But the Grimm are as poisonous to us as we are to them."

Hearing this, the seven of them began to look worried. This level of knowledge was usually not taught in combat schools, as most thought it was unnecessary to divulge such gruesome information. This was stuff usually learned on the field.

"When a human or Faunus takes in a Grimm's blood, the blood begins to tear through their system. Age seems to have something to do with how well you last through the ordeal. Generally, the older you are, the stronger your body is, and therefore you have a higher chance of coming through successfully. But in Miss Rose's case, she is on the smaller side, and rather young too. The blood in her system now will likely follow one of two paths. Your sister will be driven insane by the blood, or killed by it."

"..."

"The reason the restraints were necessary was due to that if path one were to be followed, Miss Rose would become a danger to herself, and those around her. Should she survive, your sister will likely be irreparably damaged."

And at that point, Yang, the toughest and most boisterous female on Beacon's campus, just broke down. Slumping to her knees, Yang began to bawl. Streaming down her face, and mixing with her sister's blood, becoming tears of blood. This bright, energetic girl who had most of Beacon's male population under her thumb, and who could outdo just about any of them in hand to hand combat, was on the ground sobbing uncontrollably. The little sister she loved more than anything in this world, even her own golden locks, was likely to lose her life, and/or her sanity. The thought was enough to completely break Yang down. Unsure of what to do, Ren stooped down to hold Yang, trying to calm her. The others, not having Ren's temperament, could only look at Ozpin with disbelief.

Their precious Rose was just taken by the Grimm.

***Afterword***

**Hey. Yeah, that was an incredibly messed up way to start a story, huh? **

**So yeah, my original idea was not to leave Ruby a broken mess. I'd like to explain more right now, but it might ruin the next chapter I have planned. I'll be explaining more in the next chapter via dialogue, inner monologue, and an extended Author's Note and Afterword. Suffice to say, shit is about to go down. I hope you brought your umbrellas. **

**Like I said, this is an experiment. I'm a little hesitant to have done this, and by this I mean leave Ruby in a near comatose state, being poisoned by the blood of a Superior Grimm. But it'll all make sense in the next chapter. **

**Anyhow, I should also mention that the updates for my stories will start coming more frequently. My new laptop just got in. Hooyah!**

**Anyhow though, you know the rest. Leave a comment letting me know what you thought, make a suggestion if you think it'll help the story out, and just overall let me know what you think. Any criticism that is constructive is welcome. I'd rather avoid unnecessary hate though, so keep the comments clean and classy. See you next time.**


	2. The Grimm's Rose

***Author's Note***

**Well, this hasn't happened in quite a while, for me at least. Two days of consecutive release. I suppose I'm just a bit happy about getting a laptop that actually works. **

**I said before that I would explain some things, right? Well, not here. Read the chapter, and I'll be explaining it through dialogue and the Afterword. I'm doing this because any other way and I may ruin it for those of you who don't know what I have planned, or don't have an idea of what I have planned.**

**But enough about me. Let's get on to the story, shall we?**

_My world is white. Color all gone. White, and black surround me. No matter which direction I look, there is no life. There is nothing. My eyes begin to focus, and my surroundings come into clear view. The cold ground beneath me. It is snow. Blindingly white and pure. The darkness around me. They are trees. Dead, and void of color. All around me, this scene continues. No other color. No life. Nothing._

_I try to step out, but I stumble. My balance is off. I feel weak. Heavy. I don't feel as light as I usually do. But there's nothing I can do for it. No other option, I just go. Where? I don't know. Why? I don't know. What awaits me? _

_I don't know._

_All I do know is nothing will change if I stay. So despite the pain, despite feeling so weak and slow, I press on. The crunch of snow under my feet is loud. Abnormally so. Every step take resounds throughout the forest. Or so I'd think. It's deafening. _

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

_The sound of my own boot begins to drive me insane. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. And when I feel I cannot stand it any longer, it stops. Or rather, I stop. Something is amiss. This world, void of all color, suddenly gained color. A single color. Red. _

_Around me, dozens upon dozens- no, hundreds of crimson eyes appear. They are in the shadows. They move among they shadows. They are the shadows. Their eyes remain on me; unmoving, unflinching, unyielding. It is unnerving. I cannot fight them. Any other day, I would gladly meet their challenge. But today, I cannot. As retreat begins to sound like a viable option in my mind, one of the shadows stirs._

_Stepping out from the rest of the shadows, the one makes it's way to me. It's large. Very large. The size cannot be compared to the others. His blood red eyes bore deep into mine. I feel alert around this presence. Hesitation. I feel fear. Fear of its power. Fear of its very being. I want to run. I want to escape. But my legs will not let me. They are too heavy. My speed is gone. This feeling, the feeling of the trapped rabbit._

_The shadow lurks towards me. It moves slowly, cautiously. But it soon can tell that I have no means of offering resistance, and it become bolder. Taking several great strides, the beast stops before me. Is it bigger? Or was it always this large. The great monster seemed so much smaller before. But now, it was terrifyingly large. Run. I cannot move. Escape. Paralyzed in fear. Retreat. And it lunged, maw wide open. All I could do was scream, as my world was enveloped by darkness once again._

"Huh?"

Stirring, Ruby began to wake. Her mind was a fog, after the events in the Forest, and all of the medication they had given her to allow her to deal with the injuries.

_It hurts._

Right no, all Ruby could do was concentrate on the pain she was feeling. Her neck and shoulder area had it the worst. It felt like being taken in by a Yang hug, except in this case Yang was wearing spiked body armor. Her shoulder feeling sore, Ruby moved to rub it, only to realize she couldn't move at all.

Looking at her arms, Ruby saw that her arms were bound to the bed. Looking to her legs, she noticed they were left alone. She couldn't understand what was going on. But looking around, she gathered she was in Beacon's Infirmary unit, a place with medical equipment and training on par with a hospital. Surely someone would be by soon to check on her. Or hopefully sooner, as her shoulder was killing her.

"Hey..."

Her voice came out weak, hoarse. Even she could barely hear herself. As she thought about it, her throat felt awfully dry. Not only that, but she felt a muted heat in her body as well. It was not the pleasant sort of warmth one experiences from love or joy. No, it was like someone left the bed below her burning. This uncomfortable heat just remained, no fluctuating at all. _At the very least, it doesn't seem to be getting worse._

Ruby, realizing she didn't have many other options, just calmed down and waited. Taking note of the room around her, Ruby could make out a few shapes. Sitting in the nearby chairs, her teammates, and her friend Jaune, were all gathered. None of them seemed to be awake. Weiss was sitting like a princess, eyes closed. Blake was curled up on her chair. Yang and Jaune were both sleeping with their heads on the bed, as though they were looking after Ruby during her rest.

Feeling a little calmer, Ruby allowed herself to drift off again. This time, she did not dream. It was simply blank. But she thought she could hear a voice. Or sounded like a bunch of voices talking all at once. Some older sounding. Some younger. Higher pitched. Lower pitched. Female. Male. A variety of them, speaking all at once, and all saying the same thing.

"_We art thou, and thou art we. Bloom for us, Wild Rose."_

Awoken with a start, Ruby opened her eyes to see Jaune and Yang hovering over her protectively. The two looked greatly stressed, and concerned. Their faces Looked at Ruby with a mix of worry and, was that fear?

"Ruby...?"

Yang was the first to speak. At the mention of her name, the other began to crowd around Ruby. Weiss, Blake, Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. They were all there as well, having come to see how the young girl was doing. They saw she was awake, and each had a strange look on their faces similar to Jaune and Yang's, though slightly less pronounced. Worry, concern, and fear.

"What- what's going on?" Ruby's voice again came out as a hoarse whisper. Her throat felt parched, and the heat from before seemed to have not gone away. Was that heat the reason for her condition?

"Ruby! You're alive!"

In an instant, Yang had jumped on Ruby and put her into a bear hug so tight you couldn't squeeze a piece of paper between the two.

"Yang... it hurts."

"I'm sorry Ruby. I'm- I'm just so glad that you're okay." Yang began to sob as she hugged her younger sister tightly. Releasing Ruby, the others took their turns to come and check up on the younger girl.

"So, Ruby, how're you feeling?"

"Well, thirsty."

No sooner had Ruby spoken than Yang grabbed a cup from near the bed, and brought it to her sister's lips. After Ruby downed the glass, and two others, she began to question them about her current situation. In short, Ruby had apparently been out for three days, was thrashing about for the first two, and the wound on her neck had only stopped bleeding the previous night. Yang mentioned nothing about the blood that had gotten into her little sister, nor about the effects it should have on her. As far as Yang was concerned, that Ruby wasn't mad or dead like Ozpin had predicted, so the details were unnecessary.

After a while of chatting, Ozpin, Goodwitch, and the nurse walked into the infirmary. Taking a good look at Ruby, if Ozpin was surprised, it didn't show. If anything, Ozpin was currently and completely baffled by how Ruby seemed fine after the blood had gotten into her.

"Hey, professor. As you can see, Ruby is fine. Can we get those restraints off of her now?"

"Very well, Miss Xiao Long.."

Removing the restraints, Ruby was finally able to sit up and move her arms about. Rubbing her wrists where the cuffs were, Ruby was a little peeved at how sore they were. But while she was taking care of them, she noticed something odd. Her fingernails, which she had always kept short and trimmed, and grown past her finger tips.

_All the better to tear out their throats. _

"!"

Startled, Ruby immediately looked around. That voice was loud and clear, but Ruby found no immediate source. Putting it the back of her mind, Ruby focused off of her nails and the voice, and turned her attention back to the gang, and professors.

"Everyone, if you will. I would like a moment to speak with Miss Rose. Alone."

"Professor Ozpin..."

"I know Glynda, but this matter is of great concern for everyone here."

Whispering to Miss Goodwitch in a hushed manner, Ozpin seemed to be saying something important. What it was, Ruby could not hear. After a second, Ozpin seemed to have convinced her, and she left along with the others. Taking a nearby chair, Ozpin sat down next to Ruby's bed. Taking a sip of his coffee, Ozpin got down to business.

"Hello there, Ruby."

"Hey Professor Ozpin. What exactly is going on here?"

"That is what I wish to find out. Now, how much of the incident do you remember? Being attacked by the Alpha Beowolf, I mean."

Not much, she admitted. All Ruby remembers was that she put enough rounds into the Alpha to have killed a dozen or so of it's followers. Afterwards, she remembers blinding pain in her left shoulder, screaming out in pain for her sister, and then darkness.

"Well Ruby, what I am about to tell you, your teammates and friends already know. I must warn you that nobody, outside of the eight of you, may be permitted to know this. Of course, Beacon staff will be notified, due to the nature of the current situation, but otherwise, this will remain strictly confidential."

"I'm sorry, but what will exactly...?"

"Ruby, when you were fighting the Alpha, I assume you must have ruined it's internal organs to a certain degree, correct? Maybe caused it some internal bleeding? This would have been evident by blood seeping from the jaw of the Grimm." Ruby did vaguely remember the Alpha bleeding from the mouth. "When the Alpha bit into your neck, some- or rather, I should say a good deal of it's blood made it's way into your system."

". . ."

Ruby could not respond to what Ozpin had just said. The thought that the blood of a Grimm had gotten into her veins was disturbing to Ruby. The Grimm were enemies, meant to be killed. They were incompatible with humans on every level. Knowing that the sick, black, oil-like fluid that flowed out of that Alpha's veins had gotten into her made Ruby feel sick. But Ozpin either didn't notice her reactions, or disregarded it, for he kept going with his explanation.

"Let me be very blunt here. The blood that got into your system, it hasn't left. Rather, I should say that it won't leave."

"What? What are you talking about? I don't even..."

"Ruby, calm down. Allow me to further explain. There have been cases like this before, of Hunters taking in the blood of Grimm. For the most part, these cases were of Hunters who believed that imbuing themselves with the blood of a Grimm would make them stronger, more powerful. A few were accidents, quite like your own case. But in almost all of these cases, the Hunter in question was either driven completely insane by the Grimm's blood, speaking of voices and such. Or they were killed, the Grimm's dark nature having poisoned them, corrupting them to their very souls." Ruby's face began to mirror the despair Yang's had shown the day she had to carry her limp, almost dead sister into the infirmary.

"Will- will I die, Professor Ozpin? Will I also be driven insane?"

"That's the strange part. According to the cases I've read about or seen before, by now you should be either dead, or a raving lunatic. But you seem to be fine after the fact. In fact," Ozpin hesitated, looking towards the door. He hoped that nobody was listening, but still bent over, closer to Ruby, so he could keep his voice lower while explaining. "What I say here stays between the both of us, and only us, do you understand Ruby? Now, it seems that you're too healthy. Your medical reports show that the wound you received, which should still be in the early stages of scabbing over and healing, have already become scar tissue." _. . . what?_ "Furthermore, your physical capabilities do not seem to have deteriorated in your shoulder, despite the obvious damage to your body. In fact, the nurse had done a physical while you were still unconscious. Comparing to when you first arrived here, your height seems to have grown by an inch. Furthermore, your body fat to muscle ratio seems to have gone down, meaning your body has become leaner. All of the results say that, despite the heavy injuries you took that should have killed you, you are in perfect health. No, you are in better health than before."

All of this was quite a bit for Ruby to process. That Grimm's Blood. It was supposed to be a poison, right? Then why was Professor Ozpin telling her that she was perfectly fine. That she was better than fine?

"Now, if you would please tell me how you're feeling at the present moment, Ruby."

"Uhm, well... I feel fine, I guess. My neck is a little sore, I'm kind of hungry. But there's been this weird feeling since I've woken up. It kinda feels like Somebody poured warm water into my veins, I guess? It's hard to describe it really, but I feel a kind of heat circulating through my body right now."

"Hmm. If I may, Ruby, I think I may understand what is going on. Now, keep in mind that this is only conjecture, but I think that not only did the Grimm's Blood not kill you, but it's beginning to act kind of like a parasite. No, rather it seems more like a symbiotic type relationship. The blood seem to be strengthening your body, improving your natural abilities. That heat is likely the blood making its way through your body. In theory, it should stop when its done making its changes to your body."

"So, what does this mean?"

"This means that we will be releasing you later today. We won't be able to clear you for combat just yet. We will likely have to call you in for another physical later during the week, perform a check up on you if you will. Once we're sure your condition has stabilized, we will be able to fully clear you for fighting."

This was all a lot for Ruby to take in, and after Ozpin had gotten through explaining it all, Ruby had sat there, quietly. All that was on her mind was about what all of this meant, and how it was going to affect her.

After a short while, Ozpin got up, and went to the door. Ushering the others back in, he and Miss Goodwitch made their exit. The others asked Ruby what Ozpin had wanted to speak to her about, but Ruby kept quiet about it. In the back of her mind, she understood why Ozpin had asked her to keep quiet. Or rather, she thought she did. After what Ozpin had told her, it sounded like Grimm's Blood was a miracle potion or medicine of sort, able to make you a better huntsman or huntress just by ingesting it, or taking the blood into your body directly. But after what he'd said about how it ususally leads to death, and that shes the only case he'd seen where the hunter lived and did not go insane, Ruby knew that it was dangerous. Anyone who heard this would likely think themselves an exception too, and if they tried it...

Thinking those thoughts away, Ruby focused on her friends and sister in front of her. She would be released later, which was good. She had so many things she wanted to do when she got out. Of course she wanted to grab some food. But she'd also wanted to catch back up on her Weapons magazine's latest issue, play some Call to Duty: Modern Ops, catch up on her studies...

_. . . and hunt._

***Afterword***

**Yeah, so the current situation is like this: Ruby, having taken a Grimm's blood into her by accident, adapted it to her own body and has become strengthened by it. As you can tell by the little **_**italics**_** here and there, Ruby's thoughts are getting a little dark. This will become more prominent later, as her state of mind after being released will start affecting her decisions as a leader, and her actions in combat. **

**I'm not sure what exactly I plan to add to this story. Some portion of me wants to add in some romance, another wants me to go straight into murdering someone (and based off of my history, it would likely be Cardin or someone from his gang), and some portion still wants me to corrupt Ruby to unimaginable levels while still keeping her existence pure (don't ask me how, but my brain is working on that, to some degree.) Yeah, there's some serious shit going down in my head right now, but all of that is working towards improving this.**

**Aside from all of that, I really don't have much of a clue about what you guys think of this. I'm interested in hearing what you guys think of the story so far, and would appreciate hearing your opinions. What you like, dislike, and what you think could be improved. Hell, maybe even a suggestion or two that could make it's way into the story at some point. I love hearing what you guys have to say, so long as it isn't some form of blind hate or some stupid comment about this or that sucking for no apparent reason. **

**Enough of my rant, I'll see you guys for the next chapter. Hopefully, if my other projects don't consume too much time, I'll have another chapter of this out within the week. On that note, ciao.**


	3. The Blood Rose

***Author's Note***

**Yeah, I couldn't sleep well. Normally, I'd be thinking of ways to improve Love is a Knight-mare, but I seem to have hit some writers block with that series (I deeply apologize, but it may be some time before that is updated again, I'd honestly rather get back to it too, as it's one of my favorite things to work on), so I'm probably going to focus on this for a bit. **

**As a quick recap from before, Ruby suffered injuries during a routine Beowulf hunt that left her completely changed. Due to her taking in the blood of a powerful Grimm by accident, she has begun to change physically, growing and gaining muscle mass. On top of various other changes. And she seems to be hearing some strange things. Where this will take her, well... even I don't really know. But we'll find out soon.**

**So yeah, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

"Whoa, slow down Ruby. At this rate, you're going to give yourself a stomach ache."

"Nah, its fine Weiss. Ruby hasn't eaten in a few days, right? Let her fill up."

"Don't you see how much she is consuming you brute? She's going to make herself sick!"

While Weiss and Yang argued allowing Ruby to eat so much after her release, the girl in question simply ate ravenously, ignoring everything else. It was the day of Ruby's release, and it was just past noon. To celebrate her recovery, both RWBY and JNPR had decided to go out for lunch. Before they could however, Ruby needed to change. The clothes she'd had on checking in were completely ruined, still bearing the tears and marks from her encounter with the Alpha. But getting back to the dorm, Ruby had found another predicament waiting for her.

"Yang, most of my clothes feel a little tighter."

"Huh? Really Ruby?"

Upon inspecting her baby sister closer, Yang noticed that Ruby seemed bigger than before. Her combat skirt, which usually fit her rather nicely, seemed a bit snug on Ruby. Even in the chest area, where Ruby seemed to be lacking, well, when compared to certain people. It seemed to Yang like her baby sister had a major growth spurt overnight. But no matter, Ruby still fit into her clothes, but Yang promised to get her some of a larger size later. This was decided, half due to Ruby begging, and half due to Yang noticing that Ruby growth spurt combined with her small clothes emphasized her figure in ways that Yang knew would be dangerous for her later.

Which led them to the current situation. They were at a nice, classy restaurant recommended by Weiss. They were, of course, celebrating Ruby's release. Despite Ruby having been in a comatose like state for three days, nobody expected her to eat quite what she had. The entire time she had been ordering more and more food, wolfing down every bite without stopping. Quite a few plates had accumulated in front of her. Pastas, steaks, and a few deserts. Only after her third slice of cake did Ruby finally stop, considering herself full.

"Ahh, I'm alive again."

"Whoa, what happened little sis? You were never this hungry before. Not even that time we went to the Strawberry Festival, and you entered that all you can eat compe-"

"Wait Yang! No need to bring that up!"

The atmosphere was, aside from Ruby's insane appetite, rather normal. Everyone was enjoying their food peacefully, and with Ruby back, the group was livelier than they'd been in a few days. Especially the rest of RWBY and Jaune. Well, Jaune at the moment seemed a bit distracted by something else. As Yang had predicted, Ruby's sudden growth, coupled with her clothes no longer properly fitting her, has applied some emphasis to her chest. Jaune being a normal, healthy teenage male could not help but try to sneak some glances whenever he could. Despite Pyrrha, and sometimes even Nora, supplying the fan service, Ruby's at the time seemed to be bigger than theirs, albeit with less cleavage.

Noticing Jaune's reactions to her little sister, Yang's mama bear instincts were readying to kick in. And Jaune, noticing Yang giving him a glare that seemed to say 'Try it, and I will end your family line' caused his self-preservation instincts to kick in, making him turn his eyes far away from Ruby. But every now and then, when he was sure Yang didn't have her eye on him, he would sneak another peak. Meanwhile, Ren was stoic as ever, celibate as a monk apparently.

Having sufficiently stuffed herself, Ruby leaned back in her chair. While everyone else finished their meals, Ruby lost herself in her thoughts. She'd been released from the infirmary just a few hours prior, and had just stuffed herself. Afterwards, Yang had promised to take her shopping, and get her some new clothes. A few new combat skirts of a larger size, new pajamas, and some new underwear. As Ruby was thinking about how she'd hoped her allowance would be enough to cover it, Yang snapped her out of her thoughts. They were just about ready to go, and were waiting for Ruby to get up. Following her sister and friends out, Ruby eagerly looked forward to her shopping trip.

On their way to one of Vale's largest and most popular shopping malls, the group seemed to be attracting a lot of attention. This isn't too unusual, considering Pyrrha was well known wherever they went, Nora was rather cute herself, Blake and Weiss had a certain 'cool, but unapproachable' aura about them, and Yang was insanely hot. They were used to gathering these kinds of looks. But this time, quite a few male onlookers were focused on Ruby. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Ruby, and by extension, the rest of the group, sped up their pace a bit.

Reaching the mall, Ruby's earlier discomfort was alleviated, at least partly. The stares continued, even here. But at least she could now do some shopping to get her mind off of them. Entering one of her favorite stores, a clothing shop well known for their Gothic attire, Ruby lost herself in the aisle with her standard combat skirt. Grabbing a few of different sizes, Ruby made for the changing room. Along the way, she felt her arm grabbed. Turning around to view who it was that had grabbed her arm, she noticed it was a rather tall male. He was wearing a pair of black, weathered jeans, a loose black leather jacket with some spikes and studs, and had quite a few piercings. His hair looked like someone had dunked his head in a bucket of oil. He looked, for all intents and purposes, like some punk Goth kid.

"Hey baby! Watcha doing here all alone?"

"Let go creep!"

"Come on, don't be that way. How about you come with me? We can have some fun."

The guy in question was not small, by any means. He was rather large, and had some physical strength to back it up. As such, even Ruby, who had trained for quite a long time with Crescent Rose to strengthen herself, had some trouble extricating herself from his grasp. Just as Ruby was considering using some of the Kung Fu her uncle had taught her, she swore she heard something telling her what to do.

_He is a danger. Eliminate him, make it so he cannot do this to you again. Rip, shred, ruin. Hunt._

Before she'd even realized it, Ruby had stopped resisting. Just as the guy moved to put his other hand on her, Ruby struck. Dropping the clothes in her hand, she grabbed the hand that was currently grasping onto her arm, and without restraint tore it off her arm. Still holding the guy's arm, she began to squeeze tighter, and tighter. She could see his face beginning to pale, but she continued.

_How easily you break now, huh? So, so weak. _

Still applying pressure, Ruby started to hear some cracking and popping sounds. The punk began to moan and cry out. It seemed she was crushing his arm. Getting bored, Ruby took her free arm, and reared it back. Using the training she had been given, Ruby delivered a perfect blow to the guy's sternum, sending him flying through the door to the changing rooms. Picking up the clothes she had previously dropped, Ruby walked over to the thug who was now lying in a pile of splintered wood. She stooped over, getting her face level with his.

"Don't ever fuck with me again. Got it?"

Looking at Ruby's eyes, the guy nearly had a heart attack. Where before were two normal, albeit beautiful and captivating, silver eyes, there were still two silver eyes. Only now, they weren't round, they were slits. And in those eyes, the punk saw a kind of fire burning. Not the flames of passion, or any such nonsense. No, they were flames of hellfire and brimstone. Giving a weak yelp, Ruby walked away, satisfied. Entering into the one of the other changing rooms, Ruby proceeded to go through her clothes, looking for the right size.

A distance away, Jaune, who had come to keep Ruby some company as she shopped, saw the whole incident. As he watched Ruby getting grabbed by the punk, Jaune started to move. Only, before he even got far, Ruby out of nowhere just went nuts, or so it seemed to Jaune. She grabbed the guy by the arm, and held it for a while. Meanwhile, the guy looked like he was in pain. After a second of holding his arm, by which time Jaune swore he heard cracking noises, Ruby reared back and slammed her palm into the guy. She struck so hard, the guy was sent crashing through one of the changing rooms. Jaune had no idea what the hell was going.

But back with Ruby, she was currently in a state of confusion, her emotions going haywire. She had just finished paying for her stuff and had left the store, when she had come back to her senses. And her mind began to race about what had just occurred.

_Why did I just do that? That was overkill! There was no need to go that far, and that language! Yang would kill me if she knew I spoke like that. But what was that...?_

Ruby could not understand where the impulses had come from, nor what that voice was that had been in her head. It just told her that the other guy was acting dangerously, and that she had to protect herself. Then she grabbed his arm, and began to crush it. Bone and all. She could remember the feeling of the bones giving way in her hand. It made her sick. Physically sick. She made a beeline for the exit, feeling like she was about to lose most of the lunch she had just gorged herself on earlier. Reaching the outside, she let loose. It seemed like half of Ruby's stomach had abandoned her, as she didn't quite for about a minute. Still down, Ruby didn't know what to do. Just as she was beginning to feel worse, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Whirling around, expecting another person like before, she came face to face with-

"Jaune!"

"Oh, hey Ruby. Well uh- I mean, I saw you running out here in a panic, so uhm... Well, are you okay Ruby?" As Jaune was saying this, he held his hand out to Ruby, kind of reminiscent of their first meeting.

"I don't even know Jaune." Ruby spoke in a hushed tone. Jaune could barely hear what she'd said. And then Ruby began to sob. "I don't know what's wrong, Jaune! Earlier I- I really hurt somebody badly. I- I felt threatened and then this voice in my head told me to hurt him, so I did. I grabbed his arm and tried crushing it. I felt the bone beginning to crack under my fingertips Jaune. I can't believe I did something so horrible!" All of her words coming out in a garbled rush, sounding more like strung together syllables rather than words, Ruby began to tell Jaune of what had transpired earlier.

Jaune was looking at his best friend currently on the ground, sobbing her heart out after having just thrown up all over the ground. Now Jaune could kind of understand what had just happened, but a question came up in his mind: Ruby had mentioned a voice, so what- or rather who's voice was it? But this question was not as important as making sure Ruby was fine. Getting down, Jaune pulled Ruby into an awkward kind of hug, trying to give her whatever comfort he was capable of offering.

Finally beginning to calm, she simply held onto Jaune a few moment longer. Well, at least until the good moment was ruined.

"Uhhh..."

Currently behind the two, Yang, Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were watching with intent gazes. Well, Yang's was less 'intense', and more 'hostile.' Pyrrha seemed a little hurt. Nora just seemed giddy, like always. But regardless, all eyes were on them.

""What-!""

Quickly separating from one another, Ruby and Jaune got up, dusted themselves off, and were redder than Ruby's cloak. Facing the teasing smiles of their friends, and Yang's dean stare, the two simply remained silent, unsure of what to say. After a few quick jibes from the group, they began to make their way back. Yang, having gotten Ruby's new measurements from the medical records, had gone shopping for Ruby and gotten her some new underwear; some the same, plain red types she had before, and some where a little more... risqué. But, Yang being Yang, she wanted Ruby to look a little cuter. And Ruby, practically putting her sister on a pedestal, listened to what she said, most of the time.

Getting back to the barracks, the two teams separated and went to their respective rooms, preparing to ready themselves for the evening. Ruby, not really feeling too hot, decided to hit the sack early. Dressing in her new pink-Beowolf print night pants and black-Beowolf print night shirt, Ruby got into her bed, ready to drift off.

As she was getting comfortable, and beginning to drift, Ruby felt a slight fog begin to come over her. Attributing this to her still recovering, Ruby simply tried ignoring it, took a few of the sleeping pills the nurse had given her, and dozed off. Her dreams that night were stronger than usual.

_It's rather bright. Everyone is here with me. This blindingly white room. I'm in a bed. They all just sit around me, smiling, talking with me. I talk back, making conversations with them. All feels rather good and I'm at peace._

_But something is wrong. I look down at my own hand. Hand, right? But what's there isn't a hand. It's a misshapen claw. Large, the size of dinner plates, and covered in matte black fur. Nails replaced by long silver claws. Looking up, my friends are gone. No, not gone. The bed has disappeared from below me. Instead, I'm not standing on a red tiled floor. Wait, that's not tile. The floor is covered with blood. Their blood. They're all gone. What-?_

_Looking around, I see my friends in states of death and decay. Gashes torn into their chests. Clothes frayed, torn, and scattered. Limbs hanging on by a shred of flesh, or not at all. Their faces set, all with eyes wide in fear. But one of them moves._

_He's blonde. His electric blue eyes seems clam, but afraid. I rush over to help him, to see what I can do. But he tries to back away. Away from... me. Still, I try to help him. I lean forward to pick him up. As I wrap my arms under his, I feel myself drawn to his neck. Bringing myself closer, and closer. I open my mouth, bringing it to the soft, sweet flesh on his neck, and then..._

_Snap!_

***Author's Note***

**Hey guys. Well, I think that ending this with Ruby tearing Jaune's throat out with her teeth is kinda sick, huh? Well, it'll probably only get worse from here.**

**So, as you can tell from this chapter, I plan to start having the Grimm's urges affect Ruby and her actions in important ways. I believe that their being soulless is what makes the Grimm so ruthlessly effective. But despite not having a soul, it has a consciousness, right? This consciousness was transferred to Ruby through the blood. This will have a story behind it later. The whole 'being the only one to survive the Grimm's blood' thing will have a reason to it. **

**Also, let me know how you guys feel about where I'm taking this, okay? I'm simply going along wit the flow here, expanding on the first idea that comes to my head. And as some of you may know from Love is a Knight-mare, that can lead us to some weird places.**

**Anyhow though, thanks to my new laptop, my releases have been coming out more often lately. Here's to hoping this schedule keeps up. And see you next chapter.**


	4. Sinking Arc

***Author's Note***

**Hey guys. So yeah, I'm liking this story a little. Corrupting Ruby, turning her into a semi-evil little girl, slowly ruining her morals. But meh, I digress. I'll keep this going, see how far I can push the adorable little girl before I finally break her. Well, not break her break, but I will be corrupting and destroying some of that purity and innocence that I adore from her, but in a way that still makes her likable (so no lemons!(maybe, who the hell knows what I'm thinking here?)) Anyhow, yeah. On to the story!**

You know those days you have when you're deprived of sleep, and all you want to do is just take naps throughout the day? Well, that's how Ruby's day started out. After the events at the shopping mall, she'd had some rather disturbing nightmares. Well, she assumes she did. She can't remember exactly what had happened, or what the dream was really about. All that she remembers is that the dream was horrifying. It had woken her up in the dead of night, sweat and tears cutting streaks across her rosy cheeks. Her sleeping mask, black with the red eyes of a Grimm printed where her eyes were, had become soaked from her sweating and sobbing. It'd taken her a long time to finally calm down enough to fall back into her slumber. But this time, there were no dreams. Just empty blackness.

For Ruby, the morning was hell. Upon waking up to prepare for and reach class in time, her head was splitting, and she felt a fog descend upon her mind. Her body had ached, and she felt like just staying in bed all day. On a good note, however, the dull heat that had previously annoyed her had finally subsided, and no longer brought her discomfort. Ruby couldn't decided whether her life was getting easier, or harder.

Back in class, Professor Oobleck was regaling the class with tales of the Faunus' exploits in the great war. Ruby, who was normally animated during the class, was having trouble holding her head up. Finally, she just set her head down and closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the allure of sleep. Meanwhile, right beside her were Jaune and Blake. Jaune was taking notes. Well, he was trying his best to take notes, but with his writing speed (or lack thereof) and Professor Oobleck's insane motor mouth, he could barely keep up. Blake was writing everything down neatly, and swiftly. She altered some of the notes to make them easier to understand, for she was planning to share them with Ruby later on.

Unaware of her surroundings, all Ruby could hear were bits and pieces of what was going on around her. Despite her body calling for sleep, _demanding_ she fall asleep, her mind would not allow her. She remained in a state of semi-consciousness, not awake, nor asleep. It wasn't as effective as actual sleep, but it did make her feel a little better. But it sounded like someone was calling her...

"... by... up... uby..."

"Sh... rather tired... just let... sleep?"

"Let... sister take... this."

Ignoring the conversation that seemed to be in the background, Ruby delved further into her state of unconsciousness. New voices began to join the chorus now. Different voices. They sounded like echos, remnants of people long past. The voices sounded different from the other ones; these were aggressive, angry. Violent. They whispered in her ears, speaking of darkness and death. The chorus grew from hushed whispers, quickly growing in volume. Just as Ruby feared it would deafen her...

"RUBY ROSE! WAKE THE HELL UP!"

"Whaa?!" Brought back to the world of the living by her sister's insanely loud voice, Ruby jumped up, more alert than she'd ever been. She'd gotten up so quickly that she failed to notice she'd head butted the sister who was just leaning over her.

"What the hell Ruby? Did you have to jump up so fast?"

"Well Yang, to be fair, her semblance is speed."

"Serves you right you brute. That is such an barbaric way to wake somebody up."

As her teammates debated over Yang's methods to waking people up, Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking over, she saw Jaune and Ren.

"Hey Ruby. Sorry for that, but you were kinda... uhh..."

"You were out like Cardin after his run-in with Nora last week." This is perhaps a story for another time right here.

"Ugh, don't mention it. Though now I have a serious headache. Damnit Yang." Unknowingly, Ruby began to emit a faint, feral growl. Yang had always done stuff like this, but right now it was really getting to Ruby.

_Why not just make it so she can never shout again?_

_?!_

There it is. That suggestive voice that has appeared since the battle with the Alpha.

_No. No no no no NO! I won't do anything like that to harm Yang, I won't!_

Her teammates, oblivious to their leader's inner struggle, continued debating the various points of waking people up using loud sounds. Meanwhile, the nearby Jaune and Ren looked at each other, mutual concern over their faces. They couldn't be sure, but both thought they'd heard Ruby growl. And now, Ruby looked like she was concentrating on something very hard. They didn't know what to make of her strange behavior.

"Hey, Ruby!" Yang calling her name snapped Ruby back to reality for a bit. "Do you think that the way I woke you up was a bit excessive?"

"Definitely, you fiend." Ruby dead panned, as she was honestly annoyed this time. Though definitely not to the point of wanting to tear her older sister's throat out. Why that voice, or rather those voic_es_, kept suggesting such violent things was beyond Ruby. But ignoring it for now, she got up and began to move for the next class of the day. The class in question was Goodwitch's Combat Theory, which generally consisted of being taught a few things about the psychiatry of battle and predicting your enemies moves, and then subsequently beating down someone else from the class. Ruby hoped she'd get the day off.

Too bad Goodwitch is not the nice lady you'd think her name would imply.

"The next pair up to fight will be Mister Arc, and Miss Rose. Up to the stage you two."

"Huh?! Uh, no no no no no! Miss Goodwitch, I think my stomach is a bit upset from the seven bean burrito we had at lunch earlier. Do you think I could skip this one out? Please?" Jaune immediately tried to figure some excuse for why he couldn't fight Ruby. In fact, there were three genuine reasons that he didn't want to fight Ruby. One, she was a girl. Two, he respected her an insane amount. And three, he was absolutely terrified of her and her monstrosity of a weapon. "Please?" Jaune again pleaded with a weak voice, cracked out of fear.

"Now, Mister Arc."

"Oh shit." Jaune was terrified, and it showed. He knew that there were perhaps just a handful of students who could fight Ruby on even footing, and even fewer who could best her. He was definitely in neither of those categories. In fact, he was in a category that couldn't even touch the coattails of Ruby's level. Sighing in resignation, Jaune stepped up, knowing he was utterly screwed.

"Oh man."

Immediately following suit, Ruby got up onto the stage. For the first time since her incident, she'd made a public appearance on such a stage, and the crowd went nuts. The males did not fail to notice her growth, and they let out some cheers and whoops accordingly. But the cheering died down the moment Ruby reached behind her, and unsheathed her weapon. The bastardization of an anti-material sniper rifle and a scythe. It was not an overstatement to describe it as a monstrosity. The sight of Ruby, holding this massive weapon with such fluid, graceful movements had even the most terrified spectator in awe. At least until she cocked it, when awe turned into concern for Jaune.

"You ready, Jaune? Here I come!"

Smiling, as glad as she was to be fighting again, Ruby leapt off from her starting position. Reaching Jaune in less time than it takes to blink, she smashed into Jaune with the backside of Crescent Rose. Or rather, she would have, had Jaune not blocked it with the shield portion of his Crocea Mors. Still, what surprised Ruby most was that Jaune had not even budged from his spot. Normally any enemy, blocking or not, would be sent flying from being hit by a shot-augmented Crescent Rose.

"Nice." Ruby muttered under her breath. Ruby had always downplayed her abilities, showing a humility that was rare for her age. But even so, she had some confidence in her strength, and the strength of her sweetheart, especially when she fired away. For Jaune to tank it like this, Ruby was openly impressed.

Deciding not to let Jaune rest another moment, Ruby immediately retreated across the stage. Spinning Crescent Rose expertly around her shoulders as though it were a mere baton, and not a six and a half foot tool for slaughter, Ruby planted Crescent Rose, business end down in the stage (eliciting a "Miss Rose! That stage just so happens to be school property!" from Miss Goodwitch; Ooops!) Cocking another round into place, Ruby took aim.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the stage, Jaune began to tremble. He'd taken a bullet from Crescent Rose in the shield before when he'd wandered a bit too close to her targets in practice. The impact had sent him flying, knocked the wind out of him, and left him with a fear of the scythe that seemed to run deep. The worst part is, Ruby is a crack shot.

"Oh fu-"

Jaune didn't even get to finish his curse, as Ruby let loose with a steady barrage of gunfire. All Jaune could do was try to run around and dodge the shots as they came. Despite how quickly he was running around, the shots each nearly hit their mark. One scrapped by Jaune's leg, another by his arm, and a few even left him dancing knew a single hit from that monstrosity of a weapon, and he would have a few new broken bones.

Deciding that his best bet lay with going on the offensive, Jaune rushed straight towards Ruby, a tactic that anyone there would have considered suicidal. Putting his shield up, Jaune charged straight towards Ruby. Despite the many bullets hitting him and knocking him back, Jaune's strength and stamina held up and he managed to close the gap a respectable amount. Before Ruby could pull Crescent Rose out of the ground to respond, Jaune slashed at her.

As left a cut across her cheek.

"Oh no, Ruby! I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Oh man, oh man! What if this scars?" While Jaune was worrying over the cut he had just inflicted on Ruby, much to the stunned surprise of the class as well, he failed to notice Ruby's eyes begin to grow into slits. "Ruby, I'm so-" He never got to finish that sentence. Before he'd realized it, Ruby had spun around, and knocked Jaune back with a roundhouse, sending him flying across the stage. Before he could even land, Ruby was on top of him, her semblance of speed granting her movement more swift than sound. Not letting him rest, Ruby grabbed his leg, and began to spin for momentum. Without hesitation, she threw him out of the arena, right by where his team had been watching. But she wasn't done yet.

Hopping of the stage, and onto his stomach, Ruby grabbed Jaune by the collar. Just as it looked like she was about to strangle him to death, both hers and Jaune's teams held her back. Well, Weiss didn't want to dirty her hands, and Ren felt it would be inappropriate. But the other four clung onto Ruby for dear life; Jaune's dear life hat is.

"Ruby, it's over. You won, so calm down!" Yang tried to plead with her little sister.

"Calm down you dunce!"

"Ruby, you've already won."

"Ruby, stop. You're going to kill him!"

Stop. _Don't stop._ Stop. _Don't stop_. Stop. _Don't stop_.

"Ru... by."

"Jaune?" Looking down, Ruby noticed her best friend lying below her. He was horribly bruised, and if his grunts were anything to go by, most likely had a broken bone or two. And maybe a concussion...? Well, Ruby doesn't know much about medical stuff, so let's just ignore her diagnosis. But still, the sight was jarring for her. "Oh my Dust, I'm so sorry Jaune. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" And right there, Ruby began to sob, regretting her terrible actions against her friend.

"It's... okay. But can you... please move? I'm having... trouble breath... ing." Quickly removing herself from atop her friend, Ruby got beside him, showing quite a bit of concern. "Thanks. And I'm sorry about your face Ruby."

"Huh?"

"That cut I gave you-" Looking at where he'd cut her, Jaune noticed it was already gone. As in completely healed. Even if it was just a cut, it was a rather deep one, and not so small that it could be healed with Aura alone in just a few minutes. Even so, normally it'd have left some kinda scar, maybe. But there was nothing there. Nothing. "Ruby, how'd you heal so fast...?"

Noticing Jaune's tone go from joking about his predicament, to one of suspicion and worry, Ruby immediately reacted as though hurt. Getting up, she ran to the stage, grabbed her weapon, sheathed it, and left, all in the span of just a couple of seconds. All that remained of her were a few scattered Rose petals, and a faint scent of summer roses.

"Miss Rose! Miss Rose!" Professor Goodwitch tried calling out for Ruby, but to no avail. Ruby was already well out of the range of hearing her voice. Looking down to Jaune, and then to the exit Ruby just burst out of, she realized that her report to Ozpin was not going to be a nice one. This could have ramifications for Ruby.

And on her end, Ruby was curled up in her bed, under the covers. She regretted what she'd just done to her best friend. No, she didn't just regret. She was horrified. Sickened. Disgusted. She couldn't believe she was capable of such malice, especially towards one of the first male friends she'd ever have (the rest usually ran away because she was stronger than they were, or because Yang terrified them.)

She honestly wished she knew what was happening to her. She didn't know who she could ask.

_You could ask me._

No.

***Afterword***

**Sorry to put this in the Afterword, but I'd like some more opinions about the story, if you guys have the time. I know (or rather, I think) I do rather well with Love is a Knight-mare, but the opinions here are a little more scattered, so it's hard to get a read on what you guys seem to like. So far, I've stuck with my style from Love is a Knight-mare, but I'd like to know if any of you have any suggestions or changes that could be made to improve it.**

**Otherwise, yeah, the story is coming along rather easily. I find that I have no trouble making Ruby ruthless and vindictive, and in this case a little petty. I do feel bad for what I did to Jaune. And by bad, I mean I outright hate myself for hurting him. He's one of my favorites, right after Ruby. So, I guess this means anything is fair game now? Ahh well, look forward to next chapter to find out I guess.**


	5. Dread Like Roses

"Hey, guys, can we talk about something here?" 

Jaune's day started off like any other. A nice, calm breakfast with his team, and team RWBY. Well, WBY anyhow, as their leader had not yet woken up. Odd, as Ruby was always the first awake and the last asleep. But the others decided to let her rest a while longer, as everyone had been thinking it, but nobody wanted to vocalize it. Jaune finally did.

"Something is up with Ruby."

"Thank you Captain Obvious. Now, can we please figure out what this something is?"

"Calm down Weiss. We were all thinking the same thing anyhow. Lately, Ruby has been more... aggressive than normal. Her behavior is becoming slightly odd."

"Right. The other day, after Yang woke Ruby up after class with that loud voice of hers, I can swear I heard Ruby... how do I put this?"

"Ruby was growling. Jaune and I both heard it."

The cafeteria was usually buzzing with people around this time, young Huntsman and Huntresses fueling themselves up for another day of training. But eight now, the cafeteria was oddly empty and quiet, save for a few scattered students here and there, the cafeteria staff on duty, and a couple of teachers eating their meals in a group. The atmosphere seemed to just pull the conversation out, as it was reflecting all of their moods.

"Yeah. And guys, I have something else to admit." Jaune began, completely unsure of how he thought Yang was going to take what he was saying. "The other day, when we went shopping, I went with Ruby to that clothes store she likes, _ChickenSmile_. Well, I actually followed along, because she sped off like a bullet train. But anyhow when I got there, I... I saw a thug trying to hit on Ruby. He had her by the wrists, and she was struggling. But anyhow, after a second, she just gave up struggling, and then WHAM! She used some kinda super palm move thing to send the guy flying through one of the changing rooms! After that, she went up and threatened him in his face. When it was all over, she ran outside where she was throwing up. That's where you guys found us before."

As the group discussed Ruby's weird behavior, Yang had become oddly silent. She was worried, and rightfully so. Ruby was her one and only precious little sister. Yang had been around the fiery, energetic red-head her entire life, and never grew tired or bored with her. She loved Ruby with all of her heart, more so than even her precious golden blonde hair. She'd never known Ruby to be violent or aggressive, and all of these events were just throwing her further and further into confusion. The words the Academy's nurse spoke to her before kept echoing in her head: _Make no mistake, Miss Xiao Long, your little sister is not coming out of this the same as you knew._

Over and over and over these words have replayed through her head since the day Ruby had woken up. Since the moment Yang had carried her bloodied and broken sister into that infirmary, those words had been playing and replaying through her head. Ruby's smile, laugh, her adorable awkwardness. These things had been a kind of light in Yang's life. Training day in and day out to be a huntress, all of the days and night spent bettering herself, and what was it all for? To help protect her younger sister, the very younger sister who's instance on training with her kept her going most days. When Ruby'd woken up, Yang nearly lost herself crying again. She couldn't believe it. She could, but she couldn't. Her baby sister had lived, and kept her sanity.

Or so she thought. Now, Yang wasn't so sure, and it scared her that the little sister she so cherished might be taken from her. As yang was lost in these thoughts, she failed to notice Rub walking in, and coming over to join them.

"Good morning guys." Ruby was her usual, chipper self. Well, she still felt awkward around Jaune. Considering she felt extremely guilty about breaking a rib or two of his and leaving him with a concussion, she had a good reason to. "Hey uhh... Jaune. How're you feeling?"

"Oh, you know. Sore, battered, bruised. The same as any other day, basically."

Jaune, thinking to lighten the mood, only served to make Ruby feel bad, as her chipper expression turned slightly sour at the mention of his various injuries. It had taken Jaune just a couple of days to fully recover, mostly due in part to the nurse pulling out his immense aura to help him in the recovery process. The entire time, she was complaining about why he didn't just use it to avoid injuries in the first place, but considering Jaune's past, this was not entirely unwarranted.

"Soo... uhm... watcha guys talking about?"

"Oh hey Ruby. We were just talking about how you've started to become a lot more mea-"

"Nora, please shut up."

"Well Ruby, we were just discussing Professor Port's lecture from the other day. The topic was on..." As Blake tactfully steered the conversation away from Ruby's curiosity, and towards a subject all of them could agree was boring. But while everyone else was focused on discussing Port's lecture, Ruby had other things on her mind.

Lately she'd noticed that her actions, her thoughts, even her body had been acting strange. Her thoughts were growing violent, her nails were growing abnormally quickly, and then there was that damn voice. Or voices. Whatever they were! Either way, Ruby needed to talk to a responsible adult about them, but she was trying to decide who.

Professor Goodwitch was out. Not that Ruby thought she wouldn't help, but ever since she and Jaune ran late into class by five minutes because they spent too much time studying during lunch, and were punished viciously by Glynda, she'd had a slight fear of her. Even though she would never admit to anyone, herself included. She just ruled Glynda out, making up the excuse that it would be a bother to her.

Professor Port was smart, experienced. Ruby figured he might be able to help, but knowing him, it would likely end up as some sort of fruitless conversation about his past endeavors, the many girls who fell for him, and the Grimm he managed to take down during his prime using that weapon that Ruby actually kinda liked.

Professor Oobleck was likewise ruled out. Ruby did not have the attention span to follow him and his words while she was talking to him. His inability to stand still and his insanely fast talking speed, made understanding him a task of monumental proportions for Ruby.

As she narrowed the list down, only one Professor really stood out as the obvious choice to talk to.

At this moment, Professor Ozpin was in his office. His usual calm demeanor ruined by the stress he only ever shows during the times he manages to be alone. His recent worries have been out there lately, and the documents in front of him only served to worsen that worry. The documents in question were reports, reports of incidents in and out of the school, all pertaining to one thing. Or rather, pertaining to one adorable little girl, Ruby.

After the fiasco with the Alpha, Ozpin had thought the problems with Ruby were over. He'd hoped that she'd managed to take in just barely enough of the Alpha's blood to not end up afflicted as the others had be. If anything, Ozpin was initially conflicted on how she could have avoided such atrocities. But the reports he had been getting lately had only served to increase his stress levels. If his theory was right, something far worse than insanity or death was happening to Ruby. About to nod off, Ozpin took a sip of his coffee when a light knock sounded at his door. Putting back on his mask, he greeted the person at his door.

"Come in."

"Good afternoon Professor Ozpin."

"Ahh, Ruby."

The girl he'd been troubled over had just appeared before him. _Well, they say ask for the devil and all that..._

"Professor, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Well, come in Ruby. You're more than welcome to talk to me about anything that bothers you."

Before him, Ruby took a seat in the chair. Even with her recent growth, her legs didn't reach the ground. Sitting there, twiddling her thumbs, her to hue poking out of the corner of her mouth ever so slightly, and her legs swaying back and forth. Ozpin could tell that she was seriously thinking about something. Was the question hard to phrase, was she worried about what Ozpin would think? Ozpin thought of this and more. Just as he was about to ask her what she was thinking of, Ruby spoke up.

"Professor, I don't believe I'm perfectly fine." Hearing Ruby say this, Ozpin paused. So she'd wanted to go into this subject. "Ever since the incident with the Alpha Beowulf, I've been feeling weird. My nails grow fast, I get feelings were sometimes it feels like my blood is being warmed up or something, and my thoughts... They're, well..." Here Ruby stopped. She began to bite her lip, worried about what she was about to say. She was chewing down on her lip so hard that blood began to seep from where her teeth made contact with her skin. "My thoughts have been very dark lately."

"Dark?" Questioned Ozpin. "How so?"

"Well, for example, I was at the mall with my team and team JNPR the other day, and I went to get some new clothes. While I was shopping, a strange guy grabbed my wrist and tried hitting on me. I tried to pry my hand away, but I felt kinda off, and couldn't. Out of nowhere, this weird voice, err, rather collection of voices in my head, began to tell me to hurt him. So I did. I grabbed his arm, felt the bone breaking under my grip, and threw him across the store, into the dressing rooms. I hurt him, Professor Ozpin. I hurt him." Remembering the incident, Ruby's eyes began to fill with tears.

Neither of them spoke for a while. Ruby silently began to sob, and Ozpin began to ponder what Ruby had said. After a long silence, Ozpin finally decided to tell Ruby what he had thought of.

"Ruby, I believe I may know what the problem is." At this, Ruby looked up eyes still glistening from her tears. "I believe that the Grimm's blood did indeed affect you, though not how any of us predicted it would. Instead of being rendered dead or insane, you came back in perfect health. Better, even. I believe that was the blood taking hold of your body. Acting like a symbiotic organism, if you will. Right now, those thoughts aren't your own. They are the thoughts of the Grimm."

After Ozpin had finished speaking his mind, he looked to Ruby, only to find he couldn't read her. Her face was a mix of different emotions; fear, anger, disgust, surprise, horror. He understood how she was feeling, as to be honest the thought repulsed even him. But still, a couple of things didn't make too much sense to him.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did this happen to me? Why didn't it kill me? Why didn't it drive me crazy? Why didn't what you told Yang and the others happen? Why did this happen to me?!"

By now, Ruby's tears of sadness and sorrow had begun to give way to those of anger. She was getting angry, and she began to misdirect her anger. Right now, Ruby couldn't think of anything else besides that Ozpin had told her, and her friends, the wrong stuff. She wasn't crazy, and she wasn't dead. Ozpin said she would be, but she wasn't.

_He's lying to you._

_He knew this would happen._

_He's simply watching you._

_Making fun of you._

_He's dangerous._

_A threat. A threat. A threat._

The voices in Ruby's head were back, and they were inciting her anger with their ever syllable. And with her state of mind deteriorating, Rub was beginning to give into it._ He had to have known this would happen? Yeah, he must've. He just lied to the others to make them worry. He hurt Yang. He tried to hurt Yang on purpose. That sunnova bitch. I- I..._

_It's simple, little Rose. _

_?_

"_Kill."_

Before him, Ruby began to act strange. She was clutching her head, sobbing still. But her face began to distort, twisting from her sorrowful innocence to thinly veiled rage. And as the seconds passed, her face twisted more and more. And just as Ozpin began to worry, he heard it. Not hesitating, Ozpin reached below his desk, and grabbed his cane. As Ruby began to look up, Ozpin wasted no movement in getting the cane directly in Ruby's face. Clicking a small button on the top of the cane, Ozpin released a pearl colored dust into Ruby's face. Immediately, the effects began to show, as Ruby began to look drowsy, eventually collapsing in the chair.

Eyes still wide from shock, and breath coming out heavy from fear, Ozpin stood over the young girl, worry plastered all over his face. Due to his job, as dealing with rough students, Ozpin had his cane modified to release a cloud of dust, imbibed with a special property to put someone, anyone, to sleep. He never knew that it would come in such handy.

Reach g over to his desk, Ozpin hit the intercom button.

"Glynda, would you please send for Miss Xiao Long?"

Looking over to the now sleeping Ruby, Ozpin's mind began to flood with thoughts. The primary one being that he was likely right. Whatever Ruby was thinking, it likely wasn't her own thoughts. He knew that he would have a lot of work to do. At this rate, Ruby would...

Waking up several hours later in her own bed, Ruby only had a vague recollection of what had happened in the headmaster's office. She knew she'd gone there to speak with Ozpin. But after Ozpin had told her what he'd been thinking, she blanks out. Even when Yang tried asking her why she was sleeping in the headmaster's office, all she could tell Yang was some half-baked truth. She went there to talk with Ozpin, got tired, and passed out in the chair. Ruby carefully avoided mentioning Ozpin's theory or whatnot. Yang was already troubled enough.

Meanwhile, what Ruby doesn't realize is that not only was Yang fully aware of what had happened to Ruby, she'd heard the story from Ozpin, about his theory and whatnot. Ozpin had also called Jaune to the office, to keep him up to speed as well. Ozpin had warned the both of them, being as close to Ruby as they both are, that they should tread lightly. Ruby's mental wellbeing was currently in a rut, and it was likely that she would eventually do one of three things; her psyche would completely break down from the stress and constant barrage of thoughts from the Grimm, she would up snapping and injury someone close to her, or she would be driven to insanity and eventually death. "Then again," began Ozpin. "Ruby has already proven me wrong..."

Ending with this vague sense of hope, Ozpin left the two young hunters to deal with Ruby, as he tried to return to work. After a while of trying, he realized the futility. Moving to his door, he put up a sign saying 'Out for Coffee break. Back in fifteen minutes.' With his privacy somewhat guaranteed, Ozpin moved to his private bookshelf. There, he sought the tomes that he'd hoped would have the answers to his questions.

Back with Yang and Jaune, the two had taken Ruby back to the room, and laid her out in Yang's bed. As they spoke among themselves, talking of Ruby and the circumstances surrounding her, they were unaware that so close to them, the little reaper dreamt of darkness darker than black.

_The Rose lies dead_

_Wilted through and through_

_The Juniper shall bleed_

_And so will all of you..._

***Author's Note***

**Well, that was a thing. Maybe? How should I know? Anyhow, Love is a Knight-mare and Down the Rabbit Hole are both on a short, temporary hiatus until I can get some C4 to rid myself of this writer's block. For now, I'll be focusing on this story, but I'll try to do more of the others when I can. For now, bear with me, neh? **

**Anyhow, I'm sort if this story isn't to your tastes. I'm trying to gradually shift Ruby into a darker state of mind, and I think it may be working. The only thing about that would be that, despite my sitting back and reading it separately from the writing, I have trouble forming a truly objective opinion of my own work. I'd appreciate any and all constructive criticism you guys can give. Anything would be welcome, really. Comments about if you like certain things, or hate others, even if you don't have a preference for how I could fix it. Just leave me something to work with, please.**

**Anyhow, so, this is chapter four. I'll try to start making Ruby's thoughts a little more obvious from now on. I'm going to bit the library and study up on different writing styles, as my goal is to try and make the segments where Ruby is the main PoV seem a little darker, kinda like they're going along with her changing mood and personality. But, this is all assuming I find the time. Rest assured, I will try my hardest.**

**For now, have a good night. I'll see you all within the week, hopefully.**


	6. Descent to Darkness

***Foreword***

**Yeah, my releases are all over the fricken place, huh? I've been from this, to Love is a Knight-mare, and now back to this. And sometime eventually I have to make my way back to Down the Rabbit Hole. God donut. Anyhow, look forward to the rant in my Author's Note.**

The morning was rough on Ruby. She woke up feeling like an Ursa was sitting on her head. After sitting up and doing some stretching, she hopped out of bed, ready for a nice hot shower to wake herself up. Getting to the bathroom, Ruby slipped out of her tee, sweats, and undergarments. Stepping under the steaming hot water, Ruby let her mind wander for a bit.

Lately, due to the effects of the Grimm's Blood, Ruby had been sleeping less and less, worried that each time she'd wake up less and less like herself. After the events in Professor Ozpin's office, Ruby began to suspect that it was possible for the Grimm controlled portion of her personality to manifest itself and control her. As a measure to prevent this, she'd been avoiding all types of stressors lately; from dealing with homework early and slowly, to eating in her room, and only spending time around her friends and Crescent Rose. She'd thought that the craziness only came when things got bad around her, so she decided to avoid letting them go that far.

Stepping out of the shower, Ruby wrapped herself up in her red towel and proceeded over to the mirror. She didn't care a single bit about brushing her hair, as Yang had often tried getting her to do. But she was conscious of brushing her teeth. Ever since she was younger, her mother had always taught her to take care of her health. Grabbing her Beowolf themed toothbrush and her strawberry flavored toothpaste, Ruby was closing the cabinet when she noticed something in the mirror that made her reel back for a second in disgust.

Right where her bright and beautiful silver eyes should have been were large, slit-like crimson eyes. Like those of a Grimm. But looking again, she only saw her own reflection. Hands groping about her face, as though to confirm that it was indeed her own reflection she was seeing, Ruby finally settled down. Reaching back for her brush and toothpaste, Ruby began to clean her teeth. As she brushed them, Ruby took note of how long her canines had grown. They weren't to the point of being considered too long, like a vampire's or anything, but they were getting a little bigger than they should be. Ruby reasoned that she would have to take care of them before they became too noticeable.

Finishing up her fifteen minutes of daily vanity, Ruby left the bathroom, got dressed, and grabbed Crescent Rose from where she lay underneath her pillow. It seemed that sleeping with the scythe gave Ruby a sense of comfort that she couldn't really have besides. So due to the circumstances, Yang, Blake, and Weiss had consented to allowing Ruby to sleep with the weapon, despite feeling uncomfortable to a certain degree about allowing her to sleep with such a dangerous weapon. But, whatever kept her comfortable.

After fully readying herself, Ruby left the safety pf her room, and headed out to Vale. Earlier that week, Yang had Ruby to try getting out some. Seeing as today was the opening of that new bakery on Oum St., she figured she would take the chance to head down to Vale and pick up some sweets. Stepping onto the airship to take her down to the city, Ruby slipped her headphones on and began blasting some music, hoping to block out anything that could potentially stars her out, and allow herself some time to peacefully sort her thoughts out. The music she was listening to was some rather good violin/ rock that she was introduced to by a friend back in Signal. She especially liked the name of the band that did it, Rose Noire.

As Ruby sat back, closed her eyes, and let the sound of guitars and violins take her mind somewhere else, she didn't notice a friendly face stagger in her direction. Didn't notice that ever so familiar, green pallor that accompanies them on an airship ride. Failed to notice how close she was to the nearest trash bin. Well, not until he'd stumbled over his own foot and landed right on top of her.

"Whoa!"

Jolted by the unexpected load that was now on her lap, Ruby opened her eyes to see her best friend, splayed over her lap, with a familiar looking shade of green on his face...

"Oh shi-!"

Not even bothering to finish her sentence, Ruby quickly scanned the area for a trash bin, and fortunate noticed the one right beside her. I say fortunate, because she had it under Vomit Boy's mouth not a moment too soon.

"Ugh. Hey Ruby."

"Hi Jaune. I'd ask how you're doing, but..."

"Oh ha ha. I'll have you know," His words cut off by a sudden stream of bile, Jaune swore lightly to himself and continued. "Know that motion sickness is much more common problem than people let on."

"Yeah yeah. Sure thing Vomit Boy."

After mumbling something about 'Crater Face', Jaune just sat with his face in the trash bin, and Ruby rubbing his back for him. And their entire trip to Vale lasted like this.

After getting off the airship, Ruby led Jaune to a nearby bench where she let him catch himself and rest up a bit. After confirming he was alright, Ruby got up to go to the bakery before she was stopped by Jaune.

"Wait!" After his sudden outburst, Ruby turned towards Jaune with a very quizzical look. "Oh, err.. I was just wondering, uhm. Well, where are you going?"

"Well, a new bakery is opening up down on Oum St. and I wanted to see what they had there."

"Really? I was heading that way too." And it's true. Jaune had taken that abhorrent flight with the intention of picking Ruby up some nice chocolate chip cookies from the place. But her coming her defeated the point of his trip. "Such misfortune..."

"What was that Jaune?"

"Oh, nothing. Just some soul crushing regret."

"Oh, okay." Rub honestly had no idea how to respond to that. "Well. If it's okay with you, you wanna go to the bakery together? I mean, we were both heading there anyhow."

"Oh, sure. That'd be awesome."

With this, the two began their little trek. Along the way, they simply talked. Mostly it was all bull, but eventually Ruby began to talk about what was happening lately. She let Jaune know about how she feeling, and all the weird things that have been going on lately. Especially the incident with the mirror this morning. And all along, all Jaune did was listen. By the time they reached the bakery, Ruby was slightly winded, and Jaune was just catching up on what she was talking about. But now that they'd reach their destination, they put the talking on hold. Well, just long enough to grab some chocolate chip cookies, a few slices of strawberry shortcake and other such confections, and a couple of hot chocolates, and grab a seat. Ruby had in front of her a slice of the shortcake, while Jaune had taken a slice of chocolate and raspberry covered cheesecake. The other slices would be for their teammates. After they'd both finished about half their cake, they resumed their previous conversation.

"Well Ruby, it sounds like to me the Grimm is trying to fuse with you."

"Huh?" Huh?

"Well, think like this. You said that the voices or whatever in your head can sometimes make you act a little violently, right? But if that's the case, why doesn't it happen all of the time? It seemed like it can't. Maybe it can only happen during certain times, like when you're angry or something. That seems to have been the case so far. Maybe in order to do more, it's trying to combine with your personality?"

Out of Jaune's mouth just came words that nobody would have ever expected from him. The explanation, while simple and childish to a degree, made perfect sense. If anything, it was at times like this that most could appreciate Jaune's simple and straightforward approach to thinking things through. While most might add a step three or four, Jaune could complete the thoughts in just two steps. Sometimes, he oversimplified them. Most of the time, he couldn't keep up. But in times like this, his thought process really helped.

As Ruby gave some thought to what Jaune had just proposed, Jaune had gone back to finishing his cheesecake. After getting back to and finishing her own slice, and downing her hot chocolate in seconds, the two got up and left, destination unknown. Considering he'd managed to get Rub while she was out of the room, Jaune wanted to try and extend this little outing with her as long as possible. He rarely had much time to hang out with Ruby lately, and didn't want to waste this chance.

"Hey, Ruby! Wanna head over to Build-A-Wolf? I hear the just got in some new outfits, including some combat skirts."

Now, to most girls this would be a major turnoff in a guy. But to Ruby, whose thoughts were practically on the same wavelength as Jaune's, this was a rather good suggestion. Nodding her assent, the two went down to the little shopping plaza where the Build-A-Wolf was located. Inside, they found a world of stuffed animal designs, clothes, styles, accessories. Everything. Ruby, of course, picked out the Beowolf styled stuffed animal skin, while Jaune chose the silver wolf. Getting their chosen designs stuffed, and putting the little hearts into their stuffed wolves, the two ran over to the clothes and accessories section. Getting there, the two were as giddy as children in a candy shop.

After what amounted to around an hour of the two just running around, grabbing various things, they finally met back up in the center of the store, right next to the giant machine filled with stuffing. In Ruby's hand, Jaune could see a Beowolf that seemed to be slightly modeled after...

"Uhm... Ruby, is that Yang?"

"Yes."

In Ruby's hands was a Beowolf that was wearing an orange shirt, leather jacket, shorts, a skirt, and boots. And on the thing's head was a blonde wig. To Jaune, it looked freaking hilarious, but to avoid offending Ruby, he held it back.

"So, what'd you make Jaune?"

"Oh, err. Well, you see..."

Not even letting Jaune get to the point, Ruby dashed around him, only to see a wolf that looked kinda like...

"Is that me?"

"Yeah," said Jaune a little sheepishly.

The silver wolf Jaune had made now had a black combat skirt on, with a red corset added to the middle. On its rear paws were black boots. A red wig of short hair was placed on its head. All in all, it did look rather like Ruby. After an awkward moment of silence, the two walked to the register, paid for their new toys, and left. After leaving, they walked in peaceful silence to the airship for the ride back to Beacon.

Back at the dorms, Yang had just gotten back to the room. She noticed Ruby wasn't in, so she figured that her little sister had gone out to actually so something, maybe get some fresh air. She wasn't too worried. Heading over to the closet, she grabbed out a shirt and some shorts. She was planning to head over to the gym and get some working out in. As she was taking her shirt off, she heard the door open behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ruby coming back in, followed by Jaune.

"Whoa!"

"What-?!"

Quickly realizing that his chances of survival lowered the longer he stayed in the room, Jaune turned and dashed out of the room in an instant, putting himself out in the hallway. Meanwhile, Yang had switched on her other shirt, and was about to go beat Jaune a new shade of black and blue before Ruby stepped in.

"Yang, wait! It's my fault, not Jaune's!"

"Out of the way Rubes! I'm gonna beat him until he forgets what he saw."

"I said wait."

"Ruby, move."

"Yang," Ruby said, a slight snarl beginning to form at the corners of her lips. She was starting to get bugged with Yang not listening.

Getting the hint, Yang backed off.

"Okay, okay. I get it, it was just an accident anyhow. Right?"

This seemed to have worked as Ruby, still looking at Yang with her cute glare, turned around and headed out to the hallway, back to her friend. Yang on the other hand took the chance to let out the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. After what Professor Ozpin had explained to her and Jaune a while back, it seemed that aggravating Ruby's mental state could lead to episodes of violence on Ruby's part. Best to avoid that by keeping her calm. Yang hated having to treat her sister like a time bomb, but figured it was better than her sister having bit the dust, puns not intended for once.

As for Ruby, her only thoughts were on her new stuffed Beowolf, her best friend, her team, and how much _she_ simply _wanted_ to _kill_ some_one_. Someone nice. Someone fragile. Someone blonde.

***Author's Note***

**Well, this turned out rather interestingly, huh? Do know that I plan to make Ruby's craziness start for real next chapter. Expect some crap that may make this story go M. Hopefully I can get some crap past the radar with this one. I'd prefer to keep it T, but whatever. **

**Anyhow, yeah. It's been a while since my last update. I realize I suck at juggling this, Love is a Knight-mare, and Down the Rabbit Hole. Gimme a break. I barely get any sleep as it is, and this is just tasking away from it more. I'll be honest, I actually enjoy this a lot, the whole writing thing. I really wish I had more time for it, but time don't really allow for it. I'll do what I can. I hope you all continue to read and enjoy. See ya next chapter, for whichever one I update. **


	7. The Red Queen Has Cracked

The night had been an interesting one. Ruby and Jaune had spent the day together after a lucky encounter on an airship. Well, it honestly had less to do with luck and more to do with Jaune having a weak stomach and Ruby just happening to sit next to a trash can. So yeah, luck is rather relative in this situation.

Anyhow, after the day had been relatively fun and all, it ended with Ruby and Jaune, alone in team RWBY's dorm, running a horror movie marathon. Well, it was actually Ruby's idea to marathon the movies. Jaune, meanwhile, was cowering under a blanket and holding his teddy bear for dear life. Just as Jaune was coming out from under the sheets, the film's main antagonist had popped up and taken out another one of the main cast. The progression of deaths and killings have gotten more and more brutal, and while Ruby watched on with interest, Jaune had been getting progressively greener and greener. It seemed he was coming close to living up to his title of Vomit Boy when Ruby decide to give him a break.

Turning the movie off, Ruby got up and switched the lights on. After confirming that the floor was still vomit free, Ruby helped her friend sit up, and grabbed him some Ginger Ale from the fridge.

"How're you feeling Jaune?"

"Ugh. I feel like a Boarbatusk is rampaging inside of my stomach."

"Wow Jaune," said Ruby with a slight giggle. "How can you aim to be a hunter and not be able to handle something like this?" Ruby teased Jaune many times about his odd tendency to get queasy or sick at the weirdest of times.

"Shut up."

After making sure he was okay, Ruby sat back down next to him on the couch, remote in hand. Switching from the movie to regular television, Ruby just channel flipped until she came upon an animated film about a little girl whisked away by some spirits, desperately trying to save her parents and retain her own identity at the same time. Jaune, who'd apparently seen the movie many times before, perked up instantly.

Were the rest of team's RWBY or JNPR present, they would likely misinterpret the situation. Well, almost anyone on Beacon's campus would. Ruby and Jaune were awfully close, and were rather comfortable around each other. Even now, the two were huddled, close together, watching anime on the couch. Anyone who happened to see them would assume they were together. Even Yang messed with Ruby about it occasionally. And despite Weiss trying to act so prudish, and Blake acting so mature, the two even got in on the teasing occasionally. But regardless, the two were still good friends.

As Ruby sat in her seat, her new plushy and a plate of chocolate chip cookies in her lap, and a glass of milk on the side table, she began to let her mind wander a bit. Jaune, next to her, did not pay much attention to her or the thoughts going around in her head.

_Jaune's rather nice, isn't he? All he ever does is help me. He acts a bit goofy, but he's really funny and sweet._ Her thoughts began to center around Jaune for some reason. Ruby began to think of the times Jaune has helped her, even when he wasn't aware he had. To Ruby, who'd always been a reclusive person, the attention she'd received from the other students at Beacon had been rather unwelcomed. They'd looked at her with interest, curiosity. Some with animosity and jealousy. But the only way Jaune treated her was with respect and sometimes care. Ruby loved how he treated her normally.

_Why not make him yours, little Rose?_

_Oh, it's you._

By this point, Ruby had accepted the voices in her head. After what Jaune had suggested earlier that day, about the Grimm's personality trying to become one with Ruby's to have more power, Ruby decided to finally acknowledge them all as being a separate entity and treat it as such. Due to this, she decided to try and converse with it. Well, kinda.

_Yes, little Rose._

_Shut up. He's my friend._

_But he can be the friend of others as well._

_He's not exclusive to me._

_But he can be._

_Even if he'd leave you for them?_

_. . ._

_Think about it, little Rose. If he is not yours, then whose is he?_

_Jaune would never..._

_How do you know?_

Not even a foot away, Jaune was completely oblivious to the conflict currently making its way through Ruby's mind and heart. Whatever its goal was, the voice, or rather the voices, had managed to shake her up. His mind in the film, and her heart in turmoil. The two simply sat like this for a while.

As Ruby argued with the voices in her head, she began to feel a little warm. Not really knowing what the problem was, she grabbed her milk and downed the glass in a quick gulp. Still feeling a bit warm, Ruby went to the fridge and refilled her glass. After returning to the couch, Ruby still felt the heat. It was beginning to bug her.

"Jaune, do you feel that?" Ruby voiced her complaint.

"Feel what Ruby?"

"It feels like it's getting hot in here."

"Not really. If anything, it seep like it's rather cold." But saying this to Ruby was a waste of time. She was practically immune to the cold. But at the moment, she wasn't feeling anything even remotely similar to a chill. A deep warmth was making its way through her chest. It wasn't unpleasant, nor did she really like it. It was confusing her.

"Hey Ruby, are you okay? You seem a little off..." Reaching out to offer her some help, Jaune placed his hand on Ruby's shoulders...

...and to Ruby, it felt like a slight shock had just gone through her body. Not a bad kind of shock either. It was electric, invigorating. And it freaked her out. Ruby had no idea what was happening, nor did she feel like she had any such inclination to find out. Being completely freaked out by the sudden feeling, Ruby got up from the couch and ran to the bathroom. Locking herself up, she sat down in front of the door, hoping to keep the barrier between her and anyone else, or rather Jaune.

Jaune meanwhile was left dumbfounded, completely unsure of what the heck was going on. Earlier that day, he'd had fun with his best friend, and then after almost being murdered by Yang, the two had gotten the room to themselves when everyone else left. Yang to workout, Weiss to attend extra classes, and Blake to... well, nobody really knew. But now his friend hopped off of the couch and bolted for the bathroom the moment he touched her. Maybe his breath smelled or something? Well, whatever it was it had hit Jaune's confidence pretty hard.

Meanwhile, still slumped up against the door, Ruby looked to be a mess. Her heart rate had sky rocketed, her breaths had begun to come faster, and the warm feeling was turning into fire. And those damn voices just would not shut up.

_Make him yours little Rose._

_Mark him. _

_Let everyone know he belongs to you._

_You will lose him otherwise._

_Do it._

_Shut up, shut up, SHUT THE HELL UP!_

Ruby was beside herself. She had no idea what the voices were suggesting, but she didn't care. Whatever it was, she was sure it would hurt Jaune, so she just ignored it. Or rather, she tried. But they kept growing louder and louder, their voices joining in together. A chorus of madness in her head. Ruby was about to lose her mind when a knock came at the door.

"Err, Ruby? Are you okay in there? You've been locked up in the bathroom for half an hour now." And indeed she has. Jaune had just finished watching the movie's main protagonist remember her true name, save her parents, and escape the world of spirits. Meanwhile, Ruby had been in the bathroom, silent, and eerily so.

Hearing Jaune's voice, feeling him being so close, made something inside Ruby snap.

_Now, do it._

Just as Jaune was about to give up and walk away, he heard the bathroom door opening. Out of it came a rather messy looking Ruby. Before Jaune could even open his mouth to ask if she was okay, Ruby jumped him. Ruby just jumped right into Jaune, practically tackling him to the ground. To Jaune, the impact slightly winded him. Thankfully though, Ruby is rather light, so her just sitting on top of him didn't really bother him much.

Wait, what?

Looking at Ruby, who had basically freaking mounted him, Jaune began to worry. Her eyes seemed kinda weird, as they seemed to be trying to bore straight into him. Were this under other circumstances, that gaze would likely have hypnotized Jaune. He never really vocalized it, but he was captivated by Ruby's mysterious silver eyes. And with how they were currently looking at him, Jaune almost lost himself.

But aside from her eyes, Ruby also seemed off in other respects. Her breathing seemed a little quick, and her face seemed a bit red. Almost like her face was the same color as her cape, which she almost never took off...

...which she had just removed and placed aside. Okay, now not only was Jaune getting worried, but another feeling was stirring inside of him. Well, a few really. The same feeling any normal male would get in this situation, as well as an extremely heavy amount of fear. Jaune had no idea what was going on with Ruby or whatever, and it was scaring the crap out of him. His best friend was acting kinda weird.

"Don't worry Jaune. This won't hurt a bit. They promised it wouldn't."

"They? Who the hell are 'they'?"

Jaune's question was met with no answer. Instead, Ruby simply began to nuzzle up against his armor. Now, Jaune was really freaking out. And what was scary was, despite Ruby weighing barely a hundred pounds sopping wet, she had some ridiculous strength. Jaune wanted to escape, but Ruby was holding him down. Seriously, what the hell was going on?!

"Ruby, I don't think-mphmfpmphmf?!"

Before Jaune could finish his plea, Ruby forcefully silenced him in a manner that would likely leave itself on his memories forever. A soft, warm feeling on his lips. Ruby had forced her lips onto his own. His mind going blank, Jaune could only wonder what the hell he did to deserve this. He wasn't sure if this was Heaven or Hell.

"Alright Jaune, now where were we?"

As Ruby slip down the length of Jaune's body, her hands reaching for his belt, she failed to hear knocking on the door. The knocking, which was so unexpected, brought Jaune back to his senses. And after he realized what Ruby was trying to do to him, to take from him, he shouted as loud as he could.

"Someone help! Help me!"

A second later, Jaune heard the door crash open, and appearing before him and Ruby, who still wasn't paying much attention, was Ruby's teammates. Yang, Blake, and Weiss stood before the scene, confusion evident in their eyes. But they weren't confused for long.

"Help me, please! Ruby's gone nuts!"

"Ruby!"

Her goal almost in sight, Ruby whipped her head around at her name being called. Seeing Yang, Ruby kinda regained some control of herself. Looking down, Ruby saw what she had been doing, and was mortified. Not only that, but she could plainly see it in Jaune's face, fear.

"What-?"

Looking around, Ruby saw her teammates, and JNPR just now arriving on the scene. She was beyond horrified and embarrassed at what she'd done. Jumping off of Jaune, picking up her cloak and grabbing Crescent Rose from the couch, Ruby ran out of the room as fast as her legs, and her semblance would allow her to, leaving everyone present at a loss for what had just transpired. After a second had gone and passed, and everyone had a chance to think about what had just happened, they'd all arrived at no conclusion. So they decided to find out what had happened from the only person who was there.

"Hey, what happened to my baby sister all of the sudden?!"

"Yang, calm down. It doesn't seem like this was any of Jaune's fault."

"Yeah. If anything, it seems to have been rather hard on him."

With his teammates defending him from Yang's questioning, Jaune could only really ask questions himself. How did such a nice evening with a friend turn into, into this? Jaune was utterly lost, and the only things he really could make sense of was that Ruby was having another one of her crazy moments, that she wasn't fully in control, and that he utterly wished they hadn't been interrupted. And he hated himself for that last thought.

Looking around, Jaune noticed something lying on the couch. Sauntering over to the sofa, he found the Beowulf-Yang plush that Ruby had made earlier that day. Picking it up, it reminded him of how fun the day was, and made him wish for that fun to come back.

And his teammates, noticing his depressing mood, simply hung back. Meanwhile, WBY decided to chat with the rest of NPR and see what they can come up with about Ruby's condition. All while the little Rose herself was out.

Speaking of Ruby, she was a good deal away from Beacon. Sitting huddled on the edge of Beacon Cliffs, Ruby was sobbing. She was freaked out by what was happening to her. She wasn't even sure of what she had just tried to do to Jaune. All she could think of was the look of terror on his face, and how he looked at her. He was afraid of her, worried because of her. And it hurt Ruby to be looked at in such a manner by the one true friend she'd had in Beacon.

_Just a little more and he would have been yours little Rose._

_Shut up._

_Had they not come between you, he would have been yours._

_Shut up!_

_They call themselves your friends, but they interfere with your happiness. Meanwhile, we only try to make you happy. _

"_Just shut the hell up!"_

_Why do you scream at us little Rose? We are your friends. Your only friends._

"Just please, shut up..."

Ruby couldn't take it. It was getting to be so difficult for her. All she wanted was her normal life back.

But why would you want to be normal?

Just shut up!

Ruby was starting to feel light headed. The arguing was starting to get to her, and all she wanted was to rest. But she knew she couldn't go back, couldn't face Jaune and what she'd done. And she knew that without a doubt, she could not bear to see that look in his eye again. It would hurt her far too much. Swinging her legs up off the ledge and grabbing her cloak, Ruby turned to find a nice bench or something to sleep on when her leg got caught up in her cape. Ruby usually could recover from losing her balance with ease, but this time it was just enough. Losing her footing, Ruby tumbled backwards, over the great Beacon Cliffs, her cape snagging on some scraggly rock. Meanwhile, her grip lost, Ruby tumbled to the falls below, swallowed by the abysmal dark of the night.

In the morning, all that would be found was a dirty red cape, and what appeared to be claw marks along the side of the cliffs. No trace of Ruby Rose would be found.

***Author's Note***

**Yeah, I know. I should update this more, and I want to. But I have about a half dozen chapters for this, Love is a Knight-mare, and Down the Rabbit Hole, all nicely and neatly organized (read: Marjory fucked up and disorganized) in a folder, all trying to grab my attention long enough to finish them. I'm simply going off of what I can find inspiration for the most. **

**For now, as you may see, I'm sorta taking this in another way. First, Ruby almost raped Jaune. I'll be honest, I wanted her to go through with it, but my inner fanboy told me some part of her innocence which is a huge reason of why I love her would be irreparably ruined if I were to do that. So I settled for attempted rape, and had the two teams break it up before the good part. **

**Anyhow, my reason for this chapter was to make Ruby's mindset deteriorate more, bring her closer to the dark side if you will, and also to take her away from her teammates, and friends. I figure the only things really keeping Ruby in line and acting as a sort of extra conscience for her would be the friends she has made, the team she leads, and the older sister who loves her unconditionally. And so, separating them will make it easier to corrupt Ruby and bring her into the darkness.**

**And lastly, yes I realize I'm doing it again. I can't help it. Whenever I have Ruby and Jaune together, I tend to ship them. It's better than shipping Ruby with Weiss, Blake, Yang, (god forbid) the teachers or villains, etc. Personally, I hate nearly all of the shipping except for these two, and maybe a few others. So yeah, it'll likely heavily influence my work.**

**Anyhow, you know the usual. Comments, concerns, or critiques. I'll accept them all. Keep the hate to a minimum, keep the suggestions fun, and make sure take your Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes only in responsible doses.**


	8. And so the Mad Queen Said

_Is this what the cold feels like? It sucks. It really does. There's no warmth, no light. Everything is dark. I'm suffocating. I just want this to end. End._

_Let us have control, little Rose. Then your suffering shall truly end. _

_No. _

_But don't you want relief? _

_No._

_But did you not just say-_

_Shut up, I deserve this. I'm a monster._

_. . ._

Beacon was in an uproar this morning. At about seven in the morning, a group of sophomores who'd been out having a good time had, upon arriving at Beacon in the morning, found a dirty and muddy red cape by the cliffs. Their hunter training kicking in, the students crept closer took a better look at scene. What they managed to find were so marks along the side of the cliff, as though some wild beast had tried clawing its way back up. The students were alarmed by this fact, coupled with the dirty cape, and reported it to the headmaster.

When Ozpin had received the report, his mind instantly began to ponder what could have happened. He was aware that the cape was Ruby's. In fact, everyone in the freshman class, and even plenty of the older students would have been able to guess that it was likely hers. The problem being that nobody knew what this meant. Did some extremely powerful Grim attack Ruby and cause her to fall over? Or did something else happen...?

"Could it be?" Ozpin mused aloud. For weeks, Ozpin had been doing extensive research into old accounts and reports from hunters who have faced similar conditions. Coupling these with what he's read about Ruby's actions as of late, he had managed to get a good idea of what was going on, more or less. He was worried now that this, this thing in Ruby's head might have done this to her. And this, should it be true, would be worse than anything he'd imagined so far. This would mean that this entity that had invaded her thoughts has malicious intent towards Ruby.

Sure of who the cape had belonged to, Ozpin wasted no time in alerting the appropriate people. Calling up team's JNPR and RWBY (or rather, what was left of team RWBY) to his office so early, Ozpin briefed them all on the situation.

"Listen, and listen well. You have likely already heard some rumors, and they're true. This morning at approximately seven am, a red cape was found by the edge of Beacon Cliffs. Underneath this cape was something I am sure all of you are familiar with, but this has not been disclosed to the rest of the student body yet. Under the cape, we found Miss Rose' weapon, Crescent Rose. Also, along the edge of the cliffs were found claw marks, as though a wild Beowolf had tried climbing up the ledge." Ozpin gave them a minute to process this, and continued on. "Now, as you seven are the only ones aware of Miss Rose's condition, what I say here stays here, understand? Now, I believe that you may have all arrived at the same conclusion as I have. This cape belongs to Miss Rose, those claw marks were likely her struggling to regain her composure on the cliff, and it is likely that she has fallen into the Beacon Falls and carried far away by now."

All present were stunned, to say the very least. Ruby's partner, Weiss, had a dumbstruck look on her face similar to the one she always berated Ruby for having in class. Blake's expression was a complex mixture of worry, fear, and regret. Pyrrha and Ren both showed great concern for the young and vivacious huntress. Nora had, for once, stopped smiling and showed quite a grave look. But Jaune and Yang had simplest expressions of the group. Jaune was simply in a state of shock, and Yang was completely destroyed. Ozpin, even noticing all of these continued.

"There can only be two possibilities as for what had happened to your sister, Miss Xiao Long. Either she has, by some unfortunate accident, tumbled off of the cliffs of Beacon, as we'd thought. Or," and Ozpin said this apprehensively, as though he were afraid of the implications. "Or it seems that a Beowolf may have attacked and or kidnapped her. Either way, Miss Rose is currently missing, her whereabouts unknown. And it is likely that she is no long on Beacon's grounds anymore."

"So, I have a special assignment for you."

Huh?

"Ugh."

There is too much light right now. At least, that's what she thinks. A young, black clothed girl, washed up on the shores of some far river banks. Upon regaining consciousness, a few things had become apparent; she was wet, she was cold, and she had no idea who the hell she was.

"Something... I thought I heard something before. A dream?"

Wanting to get up, the young girl stumbled to her feet. She was confused. She had no idea where she was, who she was, or how she'd gotten to this point. Only a few things were apparent, the most obvious being that she was in trouble.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR"

Make that screwed. She was completely and utterly screwed. Whirling around to meet what had just given off such an unearthly roar, the girl came face to face with about a dozen large, black wolf-like creatures. Each were covered in many white and red bony plates and spikes, and stood over seven feet in height. The girl was afraid, unsure of what to do. Should she run, just give up, or...?

_Kill. These pups dare to bare their fangs at you, so kill them._

Looking around, the girl could not find anyone in the vicinity. She wasn't sure of where, but she definitely just heard a voice. Checking around quick, all she found were the big wolves in front of her. Confusion was plain on her face, but that didn't stop her from hearing the voice again. Or rather, this time it sounded different.

_You can do it, little Rose. You have the tools, we shall_ give _you the tools. Follow your instincts, and tear them apart._

Looking down, the girl noticed something happening to her hands. The skin from her wrists up was becoming a mottled black, similar to the creatures in front of her. Not only that, but her nails were growing increasingly long, and turning the same white color as their bony plates, red markings and all. Needless to say, she was freaked out.

"What-!?"

_Like we said, little Rose. We shall give you the tools. Now destroy those foolish enough to strike at you._

Still concerned, she saw no alternative than to do what this voice, these _voices _were suggesting.

_...okay._

_Excellent. Now go._

Crouching low, the girl got into a battle stance. Right hand pulled back, formed into a small fist, while her left hand was held out in front of her. Her hands, claws, seemed to give the enemy creatures some form of pause. But it didn't stop them for long. After a slight hesitating, the first one made its move. Separating from the pack, the wolfen creature lunged at the little girl, aiming for her throat. Only, its claws never connected. Faster than anyone of the present creatures could react, the girl had disappeared, the only proof of her having been there being a cloud of petals. Looking around, the creature failed to find any hint of its prey.

But above the wolf was the girl, having dodged in time, she'd begun her counter attack. Using her legs and arms to spin herself, she used the momentum gained from the fall plus the spinning to drop her right hand onto the unsuspecting beast. She was met with success, as the clawed hand went right through the creature's thick bony skull plating. As she'd gone through the skull, she kept her hand going, cutting completely down the length of the creature, completely bisecting it.

"Whoa- what the? What did I just do?"

The others beasts, noticing their fallen comrade, lunged as one. No time to have her question answered, the girl resumed her stance. Only this time her right hand led, while she left her left into sort of an awkward sort of guard for her face.

_Now, you see _, this is how you properly throw a punch and defend yourself at the same time. It's a fighting style called_..._

_What? _After assuming her new posture, the girl had a sort of vision. Or rather, it seemed more like a memory. A blonde girl, wearing large red gloves in the shape of fists_. This girl, she called me something. What was it? _

Her reverie not lasting long, the girl snapped back to reality the moment the next one of the beasts reached her. Crouching low, she sprung up from the new position and let her fist loose at the beast's jaw. Met with success, she followed up, combing with several more strikes to the jaw, abdomen, and finishing with an uppercut. After she'd finished pounding the creature's head in, she went in and with her hands open stabbed her hands deep into the beast's stomach. Met with howls of pain, her only thought was one of joy. She was enjoying causing this creature pain.

_Then, little Rose, do you wish to cause it more pain?_

_Yes. Yes, yes. A thousand times yes. _

_Hehehe. We shall help you then, little Rose._

A feeling of joy began to pass over the girl. Ripping her hand out of the creatures gut, she gripped it with her free hand and threw the beast away, as though it were nothing. Turning to the rest, blood dripping off of her right hand, a large bony spike gripped in her left, she showed a smile worthy of the Cheshire Cat. No, not even the Cheshire Cat could smile like this. Eyes wide, silver with black slotted pupils. Tinges of red around the pupils made the girl's eyes seem as though they were made of rusting silver. The eyes also held a glint of madness, shining with an eerie light. Her smile was crooked, and wild. Her teeth were gleaming a blinding white, much like the pale complexion of her skin. Her canines had grown to resemble those of a wolf.

She made a sight that any looking upon would remark resembled some sort of Goddess of Madness (kinda like a cross between anyone infected with Madness in Soul Eater and Gasai Yuno of Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)). The wolfen creatures were now wary of their prey, but only it was far too late for them. What stood before them was not a Hunter, whom they may have been able to gobble up nice and quietly. Nor was it some creature born from the darkness as they were. It was something that nature had tabooed, an aberration.

Taking off like a shot, the girl initiated this round of attacks. Reaching the closest creature, she drove the bony spike in her left hand straight through the creatures eye, into the skull, and out through the back. It was a death far too quick and bloody for even the worst creature to deserve. Nonetheless, she continued on to the next. Gripping the face of the next one with her right hand, she spun around, slamming it into its brethren. Her hand, slicked by the blood of her previous kill, had lost its grip on the creature, throwing it into a nearby tree at a sickening speed. It did not even stir afterwards.

The others that she had knocked down began to get back up. Refusing to give them the chance, she pounced onto the nearest one, and drove her left hand straight through the chest, where its heart should have been. Feeling the life slip away from this one, she turned her attention to the one charging her from behind. Rearing her hand back, she threw the beast that her hand was currently buried in straight at the charging creature, catching it off guard. Faster than lightning, she jumped back, getting herself into the creature's blind spot, and dug her claws into its neck, both of them. With what should have amounted to quite a hellish effort, she tore her hands apart, and severed the head from the body.

With half their number utterly decimated in seconds by this long little monstrosity, the restock the beasts took notice and began to retreat. But even playing with the head from her latest kill, she noticed the attempted escape.

"_Now_, now,_ now_. Where _do _you _think _you're _going_?" Her voice, or rather, was it even her voice? What came from the girls mouth was doubtlessly her own voice, but mixed with several others. It was almost as though her body was simply a conduit for several others to speak through. "We're _just _getting _started_."

_Go, hunt them down to the last. Have your fill of the hunt, little Rose._

_Yes, yes, hell YES!_

This was a sport to her now. The thrill of hunting down these weak creatures who had dared bare their fangs at her. She would enjoy bringing them the pain they deserved. She would _relish it_.

Unbeknownst to the otherwise occupied little girl, a pair had stumbled by chance upon the scene before and had decided to watch it unfold. But before their eyes occurred something neither of them ever thought they'd see. The little girl they were sure would become wolf chow, who they were sure would be completely torn apart by the Beowolves. Not only was she not torn apart, but she did the tearing. The Beowolves, known for their ferocity, speed, and cunning when in their packs were completely routed by this small, unassuming, and unarmed little girl. Not only that, but the little girl had viciously killed each one, using weapons neither had seen before. It appeared to them that she was using gauntlet of some sort, similar to the claws of the Beowolves she was mercilessly slaughtering.

"What- what is with this kid? Who in the heck is she?" the gentleman asked his partner, a woman garbed in a red dress detailed in gold.

"I'm not sure, but there is one thing I know. I want her, Roman."

***Author's Note*  
**

**Yeah, so there it is. A little bit of action for those of you who wanted it, and a little more of Ruby going batshit crazy, for everyone reading. And of course, plot twist (which doubtlessly, some of you may have seen coming). Regardless, I do not regret having made tomorrow suck by staying up this late to finish this. I was reading some manage, watching some anime, and playing Battlefield non-stop today until some inspiration hit me. And hit me it did. Felt like someone grabbed Magnhilde and gave me a good whack upside the head.**

**Anyhow, with my imagination newly supplemented and about two cans of Monster running their course through me, I suddenly felt like I had to write this. So I did. Anyhow, you guys know the usual. Comment about what you liked, disliked, and any hate can be stuck into the barrel of Crescent Rose and fired straight up your ass. With that in mind, good night, sleep light, and don't let Nora into your stash of pancake batter. That is if you want to actually have breakfast.**


	9. Off With Their Heads!

"Why are you running, huh? You started this!"

Running from this petite, black clothed girl was a group of six large, black, wolfen like bipedal creatures. These six were all that remained of a larger pack that had made the unthinkable mistake of having attacked her. At the time, they had been wholly unaware of what sort of monster they were attempting to strike at. They had simply assumed that it would be another creature of the light for them to make a victim out of, for them to send off to a grave. For them to make suffer, and in turn prolong the ring of suffering that they so relished.

Boy, were they wrong. The situation had turned around on them spectacularly, as the hunters had now become the hunted. This frail looking little girl had at first seemed like she would be unable to put up resistance. And before they knew it, she had brutally slaughtered half of their original number. Feeling genuine fear, an emotion long since thought to not exist in these creatures, the group turned tail (bad Barbara-like pun not intended) and ran as fast as their legs would carry them. But it was to no avail. The small girl had given chase, and they had no hopes of outrunning her.

She'd already caught the first two, having beheaded the first, and using one of the bony spikes located on its shoulders practically de-brained the second with a well thrown headshot. The four who remained continue to run, feeling that if they'd faltered for a second they would be destroyed. But no matter how fast they ran, how much the fear they were feeling urged them on, it was no use. The girl had caught up to the next, and the next, and the next.

Running full speed, the two who'd stumbled upon this magnificent scene tried as best as they could to keep up with the girl and the now fleeing and nearly destroyed pack of Beowolves. As they ran, they saw the girl, in bursts of speed that took her out of the spectrum of visible light for a fraction of a second, took down the remaining Beowolves, each with as much, if not much more brutality than previously. Tearing off a head, spike through the brain, bisection, beating to death with their own skull. She did it all, a Cheshire smile painted on her face. What captivated the two was the scene of the girl and the final Beowulf.

The last survivor of his pack had decided to try one final stand versus the maniacal child. But to the duo watching on, they already knew the result. The creature, while brave, was utterly screwed. And they were right. Lunging for her, the beast did not notice her hand reared back. Did not notice the speed at which her dominant hand was arcing from behind. And only noticed when it was far too late, when the girl's hand had reached it, tearing it from crotch to head. Flying past the girl was a fine mist of blackened blood and rose petal, as well as the two halves of what was just a Beowulf.

From their position, the two took in this crazy scene. They took in the details of this girl; wild red hair so dark it seemed black, clothes torn and wet, and eyes that shone like rusted steel, with slits like those of a wild beast. And her hands, which they could see were no gauntlet or gloves now. Black and mottled flesh, adorned with bloodstained nails of the purest white. As though they were the claws of a Grimm.

"Uh, yeah... no. Cinder, we should just let this one go. I don't feel right about her."

"Be quiet Roman. Look."

As the woman, Cinder as she'd been called by the man, Roman, had mentioned, something was going on with the girl. Her eyes, which had before seemed the epitome of one who is far into the depths of lunacy, had become... normal. Albeit being a color neither of them had ever seen before on a person, a bright and unclouded silver, they had no more trace of the rust like red that they'd seen before. And her pupil, which before had been snapped like a needle, was back to being a normal round. And her demeanor, which had been wild and crazed, had suddenly switched back to being the meek little girl she was before the slaughter began.

"What the-?"

_They're... dead? Those creatures from before, I killed them. Right?_

_Yes Little Rose. You did excellently too. They got what they had deserved, and now they have no time to regret their foolish actions._

She understood, and she didn't. She knew what she had just done, and she completely agreed with what the voices told her. They did deserve it. It was their fault. But she couldn't understand why it felt so good, why it made her happy. Why the voices praising her made her feel so warm and good on the inside.

As she allowed herself the pleasure of being praised by this voice, she was nearly caught unaware by the two intruders.

_Little Rose, be aware. There are some humans coming._

Whipping her head around at a breakneck speed, she came face to face with these humans. One was an orange haired man in a bowler cap, wearing along white coat. He walked with a cane in hand and a cigar in his mouth. The other was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her hair fell in waves down to her shoulder, the color of light tree bark. Her body, which was rather mature and sexy, was covered by a red dress with gold accents that almost seemed to resemble fire. Unsure of their motives, she was wary of these two strangers.

"Cinder, it's that girl who foiled our dust shop robber a few months back."

"Ahh, so it is. But she doesn't seem to recognize us. Strange."

The girl could tell they were whispering something, but _what_ she didn't know. Roman, wanting to confirm it, took a step forward, which put the girl on guard.

"Why, hello there Red," he began, trying to defuse the situation. He was aware of her prowess, and would rather not experience it firsthand. Especially after her little... demonstration. "Remember me?"

"W-who are you?" She said a little hesitantly, taking a step back as she did.

Roman, noticing the girl's genuinely confused look, had confirmed what he'd wanted to. She didn't recognize him, nor the atrocity he'd attempted to commit on her. This could work for him, or so he thought.

"Well you see Red, you and I have a little history together."

"Huh?"

"We're... friends. Yeah, let's go with that. And this nice lady behind me was also one of your friends."

Walking up to stand beside Roman, Cinder gave him a slight jab to the kidney. She couldn't believe his stupidity at choosing such a cliché and unreliable story. But, from what she could seem it seemed to be working. Going with the momentum, she picked up where Roman had left off.

"What Roman here says is correct. We've been looking all over for you Red."

"Red? What the-? Oomph!"

"Quiet Roman, don't ruin it."

"So, my name is Red?"

"Yes."

"And you two are my friends?"

"Yes."

The girl just stared blankly at Roman and Cinder as what they'd told her was being processed by her. Unsure of what to do, she looked to the only person, or only thing, she could currently trust.

_Is what they're telling me true?_

_. . . I don't know__ either, little Rose. But... _they reek of blood and violence. The part that they had just so happened to not mention to the girl. Apart that they found inviting, liberating. Something they wanted a part of_. You can trust them, little Rose._

"Okay then. Alright." She said seemingly to nobody, confusing the duo before her. "I'll believe you. So, Cinder, and...?"

"I'm Roman you little- YEOWCH!"

Extending her hand to Red, Cinder gave what she thought was her warmest smile. "Let's go back, Red."

Back with the Beacon end of things, teams RWB and JNPR were in a frenzy preparing for what mission Ozpin had given them. Considering that it hadn't been too long since Ruby should have gone missing, Ozpin had decided to send the two teams, sans their missing leader, out on a joint mission to find and recover the missing Ruby. Due to RWBY's leader currently being missing, the leader of JNPR, Jaune, was put in charge of both teams.

Ozpin had given the students the rest of the day off to prepare and supply themselves for their search and rescue mission, as well as special permission to leave school during educational hours and gather what supplies they needed in Vale. Not a single person on either team had wasted any time in beginning their preparations. None, but Jaune himself.

On her end, Weiss had gone with Pyrrha and Blake to Vale. Her goal was to stock up on some dust, believing it may be necessary in case subjugation or force became required. Blake sought out a book store to acquire some extra literature regarding Grimm, specifically Beowolves. Pyrrha had gone to pick up some supplies for the maintenance of the groups weapons.

On their end, Yang, Nora, and Ren had decided to begin packing food supplies, courtesy of the Beacon Academy Exchange, a small store on campus that sold just about everything by way of food. Everyone beforehand had chipped in, Weiss of course contributing the most, and left the three in charge of getting food they thought would suffice. Or rather, Ren was busy deciding while Yang and Nora were there for the muscle.

And in his room, peeping his gear, was Jaune. He was still unsure of how to feel regarding the previous night with Ruby. The feeling of being with his best friend, just hanging around and talking about all the useless stuff that they could. It felt comfortable to him, felt warm, had felt irreplaceable. He wanted back his best friend. He wanted back the girl he had come to like. But he was also afraid of what was happening to her. What the others did not see, what he had.

The eyes that were looking at him, filled with lust. They were Ruby's, and not her own. The lips she'd planted against his were doubtlessly her own as well, but it felt wrong. He'd enjoyed it, a bit too much. But he had still felt at the time that it was all off. That it wasn't right at all. The sight of her atop of him had captivated him, her usual adorable charm replaced with a new type of wild beauty. The memory of this shook Jaune up, and made him feel so many conflicting things.

Attraction to Ruby, fear of her, an obligation to protect her. But also lust towards her. And this made him also hate himself.

This maelstrom of emotions surging inside of him, Jaune mostly focused on the fear. Fear of the girl he had come to cherish changing, becoming something dark. Something... something wrong. Lost in his thoughts as he was, Jaune had failed to notice the door to his room open. He had failed to notice who'd marched on in until he'd felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Hey Vomit Boy, whatcha thinking about? It better be about we're gonna go find my little sister." At the mention of her little sister, Yang felt Jaune tense up slightly. "So that's how it is, huh?"

Grabbing Jaune by the collar of his jacket, she'd hoisted him up and against the wall, slamming him hard enough to make his armor rattle.

"Ooph!"

"Listen here, and listen well Vomit Boy! I don't care what you may think about Ruby had done to you. Know that you are an irreplaceable friend to her, and she needs you now more than you or her might even realize. If you really are her friend, you should realize the depth of how much she cares for you! For Dust's sake, she's an introvert with the social skills of Crescent Rose! Now, man up, act like her best friend, and begin to think of how we're going to get her back!"

With her little speech ended, Yang dropped Jaune, who landed on his rear with a slight thump. Looking up, Jaune saw that the blonde brawler now had her arms folded across her chest, left foot forward and tapping at a pace that betrayed her patience, or lack thereof. He was afraid of Ruby changing, but what Yang said just now was also true.

"Now get up. We've got to go find my sister." Saying so, Yang offered him a hand to get up.

**The hand offered to her seemed so far away, but so close. Should she take it?**

Cautiously taking the hand-

**Cautiously taking the hand-**

Jaune picked himself up.

**Red perked herself up. **

After getting back on his own feet, Jaune grabbed Crocea Mors from where it lay on his bed, attached the sheath to his belt, and steeled his resolve.

**After resolving herself, Red went over to the fallen creatures, grabbed the corpse, and tore several claws and teeth, pocketing the keepsakes of her new life.**

"Now those are some good eyes. Okay Vomit Boy, let's get going to where Ruby is. Also, Ren needed an extra hand with carrying the supplies."

"**Now those are some good eyes. Okay Red, let's get going to where our home is."**

***Author's Note***

**Well, that was an interesting chapter. Took me a while to do this because I had to try and account for how I was going to do some of the parts that changed perspectives rapidly, especially that ending part. Anyhow, took me a while to get all of this planned out and typed down. But, like I always do, downed a few monsters (which, it seems, I am now immune to), and decided to get this chapter done...**

**Which I unfortunately didn't finish yesterday because I feel asleep halfway through. So, feeling guilty I decided to bang this out today. So, enjoy. And remember kids, Dust is not meant to be snorted. Please follow all rules and regulations stated in the free pamphlet provided by the Schnee Dust Company.**


	10. Blooming Rose

_Why doesn't this feel right? What is wrong? Why does it feel so... off? It's cold, and it's lonely. I don't want to feel this anymore, I don't. It's so scary, and there's no warmth._

_Hey, _. What are you doing here? It's almost time to go to cl-_

_You dunce, what do you think you're doing? Hurry up _!_

_Are you well? You don't seem to be doing so fine _._

_Who are these people? And what are they calling me? Wh-who am I? And why do these people make me want to cry? Why, why...?_

"Why?"

Red seemingly whispered this single sentence to herself, apparently in the middle of some dream or nightmare. Off to the side, Roman and Cinder watched over this mysterious young girl. Both knew she was dangerous, as she'd displayed when she'd torn apart the pack of Beowolves. But she also appeared to act like the little girl she was. The moment they'd returned to their base of operations with Red in tow, she'd asked for some milk, curled into a ball on the nearest couch, and fallen asleep. Ever since, she'd been in a restless sleep, muttering this and that while tossing about.

"Cinder, I'm not so sure what we're doing here is a good idea. She doesn't seem to be so right in the head, if you know what I mean."

"Shut it Roman. You know we have need of stronger pawns. And I doubt that many could do what she did before, and with as much zeal. Face it Roman, we do need her. Her and her... monstrous strength."

The two continued to debate over the correctness of their decision, all while it slept right in front of them, blissfully unaware of the subterfuge by which it has been subject. Meanwhile, Red was currently facing more and more problems within her own mind.

_It's heiress, actually. _ _, heiress to _ _ _._

_Finally, a little recognition._

_Welcome to _._

_Hi. I'm _._

__._

Her head assailed by dreams, visions of a time she doesn't remember. Faces she seems to have forgotten, and blanks that won't fill themselves, no matter how much she yearns. These voices comfort her, these faces bring her smiles. But why, why can she not tell who they are? Or why their smiles seem to be fading?

Nobody could answer her. But with the gang from Beacon, the gears had finally begun to move. After riding an airship for half a day, they were finally dropped off near the edge of Vale. According to Professor Ozpin, nearby would be a river that is fed directly from the Beacon Cliffs Falls. If they were to begin searching, it should be from here. Led by Jaune, the group began to move along the river.

"Okay guys, keep your eyes peeled. We're here to search for any trace of Ruby. She's likely cold, wet, and we know she is unarmed."

"Vomit Boy's right. Ruby is extremely psychologically reliant on Crescent Rose. Without it, she'll likely a lot more vulnerable than usual."

"Time is of the essence people. Let's move out!"

At his urging, the group began a steady, but swift, pace along the edge of the river, traveling with meaning and a purpose. The further they got from Beacon, the more Jaune seemed to be getting angsty. And why wouldn't he? It's been over thirty six hours since Ruby had gone missing, and time only seemed to drag on. She'd already been forced to spend a night cold, alone, and possibly in danger in these woods. And they could only move at this infuriating pace, trying their hardest to find some semblance of her. He worried for her, and immensely so. Anyone there could see the strain it was taking on him. He blamed himself for what had happened to her, his best friend and fellow leader he could look up to.

After a few hours of nonstop searching, Weiss began to complain about her lack of stamina, and suggested that they settle down to have something to eat and restore their energy. Though reluctant, Jaune had to admit that the constant movement was starting to wear him down as well. Jaune called it time out for a bit to rest and recuperate. No sooner that he'd said these words than the group set about preparing something to eat. Judging by the position of the sun, it was likely nearing dinner time anyhow. Deciding that it seemed fruitless to continue this search in the dark, the group set up camp for the night as well.

Deciding to augment their meal with something a little bit fresh, Blake went a little more downstream in the hopes of catching some of the seasonal salmon. Meanwhile, back at camp, Ren started to sift through the supplies they had brought and began to prepare dinner. Not long after he'd begin to boil some water, Blake came running back into the clearing, her demeanor frantic and worry clear on her face.

"Guys, you're going to want to see this. Now."

The meal forgotten, the six of them followed Blake through the thickets, trying their hardest to keep up with the nimble Faunus and her insanely good night vision. Finally though, just a little past a clearing, Blake stopped at the edge of a river. Motioning down, the others saw what put her into a panic. Footprints. Large ones. Definitely some adult Beowolves in vicinity. Scanning the ground, a few of them noticed what appeared like tracks and trails leading further into the forest, away from the river. They would have ignored this, except that mixed among the large wolfen tracks of the Beowolves was a single, dainty little distinctly human footprint.

"Ruby..."

Yang merely voiced what they had all thought. Thinking it the best clue they had found so far, the group followed the tracks as far as they could, and came upon a sight that would forever leave itself embedded in their memories. What they came upon could only be explained as a scene directly out of hell.

Laid out before them were the remains of several Beowolves. Or, so they thought. There were nothing more than scraps of some of them, and fragments of others. The only "whole" corpse they'd managed to find was definitely a Beowolf, sans a hole where it's "heart" should be. I fact, Blake noted, it seemed that they weren't cut apart by any known weapon. Taking a closer look, everyone could agree. The various bodies, and their different states of fragmentation, were done by no blade, nor could any bludgeon perform such acts. Even Ruby's infamous Crescent Rose couldn't eviscerate like this. These Beowolves almost seemed to have been... torn apart. But by what?

After a little more searching through the gruesome remains, they noticed more tracks. These led even further into the woods, but they were peculiar. This time, inside of the larger wolfen prints were smaller, human ones. All of the foot prints seemed to be spaced quite a distance apart, indicating that whatever had happened, some of them decided to flee. And whoever, or _what_ever, had done this to them had decided to give chase. Following the footprints seemed to indicate that it was Ruby more and more. For every two or three Beowolf foot prints that they'd passed, one of the smaller human's prints would be found. This indicated that whomever these prints belonged to was moving at speeds greater than the Beowolves, each of their steps propelling them forward meters in a single bound. It was inhuman speed. It was Ruby's speed.

"No way... There's no way."

"Face it you brute. There's no doubt that it was your little sister who performed this... this massacre. "

"Shut it Schnee! Ruby would never do this! She couldn't."

"_She_ couldn't, maybe. But maybe it wasn't _her_ that did this, now was it?"

"Or maybe it _was_."

Yang seemed to be moments from killing Weiss, who kept trying to find any reason to argue it was Ruby, even against Jaune's possibility that it isn't Ruby's will. Even so, none of them present could deny that what was before them was a brutal scene that any of them could possibly replicate while still being sane. This was the work of a mad man, or a mad woman. Even so, none of them said that they'd turn back. None.

To Red, the scene that greeted her when she woke up was a strange one. Different than the red, white, black, and yellow of her dreams, this scene was more... colorful? But it didn't feel right. No, it did not feel right at all. But they said it was right, right? Roman and Cinder. Her... friends. They said she was back where she belonged, right? So why did it feel so wrong? Why did it all feel so damn wrong? Why?

"Oh, you're awake Red? Good morning."

In front of Red was the orange haired man, Roman. He had an air about him that she didn't trust, but at the same time she felt he was okay to trust. After all, they hadn't said it was bad yet. And they were wrong. They were the only comfort that Red had right now, the protectors inside of her. They comforted her, made her feel safe.

"Well Red, how are you feeling? You didn't seem to be so well yesterday, so I came to check on you."

"I-I'm fine. I was just a little cold was all."

"Okay, well it seems that Cinder wants to speak with you. She'll be in the lounge, third door on the left."

Taking her leave from Roman, Red sent where she was directed. To the lounge, as he had called it. Inside, on one of the many large sofas, Cinder was laying back, feet up on a stool. Beside her, a bowl of strawberries.

"Ahh, hello Red. I trust you are feeling better?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the concern, Cinder."

"Oh, it's no problem my dear. But you should really take a nice hot bath and grab a change of clothes. Yours are rather... tattered. Don't worry, I'll help show you to your room."

Prior to Red having woken up, Cinder and Roman had set up one of their spare rooms to act as a kind of bedroom for her. Checking her clothes sizes while she was out very carefully, Cinder instructed Roman to get some clothes of similar sizes and place them in there. Of course, she'd also instructed him to make sure that he'd removed all of the tags to be safe. Inside her room, Red found everything she'd need for her bath. Thankfully, adjoined to her room, was a single person bathroom, equipped with a rather nice shower and all. Grabbing a black tee shirt, some black cargo pants, and a red sweater with a hood, she went in to unwind after her day, and warm up with a nice hot bath. But even under the running water, Red did not feel the warmth she desired.

This clue that they'd found, it was all the group had. But to Jaune, it was enough. It was more than enough. It showed Ruby was alive. He wasn't sure if she was healthy or safe, but he knew she was alive. And this is all he needed to know. Emboldened by this fact, Jaune laid his head down and for the first time in several days, managed to get some good rest. In his heart, he knew several things to be true at this time. Ruby was alive. Even unarmed, Ruby could protect herself. Some malicious existence was poking around in Ruby's head, but it likely wouldn't let her die.

_Ruby. If it's real, then heaven is a place I would burn for you._

***Author's Note***

**Yup, so ends yet another chapter of The Grimm's Rose. A few things to mention.**

**First, some of you may notice this, so let me address it before you do. In this story, Grimm's bodies do not just disappear into a black mist. They stay behind and deteriorate like other organic bodies, albeit at a much faster rate. But they do stay behind and decay, so there would have still been the fresh bodies from Ruby/Red's kills.**

**Second, this is something I wanted to make sure you guys noticed. There are currently three different Points of View for this story, and in each one the style changes slightly. With Roman and Cinder, theirs tends to be a bit more on the dry, humorless side, with some confusion for Red and who/what she is. With Jaune and the gang's Point of View, they're shown to be rushed, with Jaune showing excessive worry and care. They are the more emotional group. And with Red/Ruby's Point of View, we see her lack of memories come into play. She never refers to a Beowolf as a Beowolf, nor does she show knowledge in much else. She never even acknowledges the term Grimm, and her naivety is increased compared to her usual childish persona. Also, I've taken to calling her Red in both hers and Roman/Cinder's segments, in order to hit home the point that right now, **_**that is who she is**_**.**

**And last, I know I'm getting crazy here, and even I'm losing track of what I'm doing. I'd like a little feedback on how I've been writing lately, because I know there are some places I can improve. I'm just not sure exactly where. I know I also make a few spelling and grammar mistakes here and there, but blame auto correct. Not me. **

**Anyhow, constructive criticism, or love please. No hate, I hate your hate. If you have hate, attach it to a Roman Torch and let it burn. And when the Cinder's Fall, you can bury your Weiss cold heart in them. (I suck at puns, huh?)**


	11. Sleeping Thorns

_Where am I? Why am I alone? Where are they? Where can they be? And what's that light? It's getting brighter and brighter. It's blinding. Too blinding. Damn it, I can't keep my eyes open much longer. _

_Blinking, the scene in front of me changes. It's no longer just an empty room. There are others here. But they're not like me. No, they're not even human. Their appearance can only be described as being very Grim looking. Large shadowy masses, no definite shape. On what seemed like the head rested ornate, crimson decorated masks of alabaster. The designs seemed to flow through the masks themselves, like rivers. Or veins. A set of ears, possibly lupine or feline, rested atop the heads._

_Hello Little Rose. Are you well?_

_Oh, it's them. My mood lifts, and I feel better. It may have seemed gloomy before, but they're here. For me. To comfort me, bring me warmth. To be my guides. _

_Correct Little Rose. We are your protectors, your guardians. You can trust us. Now, and always._

_I know I can. I know that I can trust them. They haven't lied to me, after all. They have protected me, directed me to survive. And my trust in them is what has allowed me to live in this world that I do not know. But, who are they? And what is it with this world?_

_Who we are. Does that really matter so much, Little Rose?_

_No. I guess it doesn't really matter much to me at all. I can trust them, place my life in their hands. I can almost say that I even love them. Love. Love... _

_What was that again?_

Awoken by an aching feeling in her chest, Red looked around her room again, as she had for the past two days. Roman and Cinder had suggested that she stay inside, and try to rest for a while. Her ordeal had taken quite a bit out of her, and they were concerned about her.

Like she needed it. Red felt that Roman and Cinder could be trusted, to an extent in any case. They said that the three of them were friends, and so far they had given her no reason to mistrust them. But she wished they would trust her. She knew she was fine, and she wanted out to go exploring, stretch her legs, to reacquaint herself with the world around her. She figured she didn't have a thing to lose, so for the umpteenth time in three days, she went to track down Cinder and ask her to leave the base. Throwing off her nightclothes, a plain white tee shirt, and some black jean shorts, she threw on what had quickly become her new normal attire. A black shirt with a single rose on back, vines growing around to the front forming a cage over her heart. A pair of black cargo pants, red-laced black combat boots, and a crimson red jacket finished off her attire. The jacket, which was a size or two too big for her, hung off her small frame. Regardless, she liked the color, and liked to keep the hood up.

As soon as she'd entered the room that Roman had called the central Hub, Ruby spotted Cinder, Roman, and a couple of new people she'd never met discussing something over some maps. One of them was a man; slick black hair, red sunglasses, and a goatee that adorned his face. Behind him, a pair of twins. One wearing a red combat skirt, and the other a white. Both otherwise had the same face, and black hair.

"-ment coming into this dust shop over here. Also, the one on this street just got an order filled today, so it's plenty stocked. All we need to do is send..."

"Cinder, can we talk?"

"Can it wait, Red?"

"Actually, no. It cannot. I'm going outside. I'll be back later."

"Wait, you really shouldn't. It could be-"

"It could be what?" Red asked, turning around with a glare that could scare any man, woman, or child.

"N-nothing. Have fun."

Without another word, Red left behind the speechless Cinder, and the others to wonder at what had just happened. That glare, cold enough to freeze even the hottest of flames, had shaken them, even slightly. For Cinder and Roman, it was because they knew what she was capable of. For their guests, it was because the glare had reminded them of one from a rabid beast.

Outside at last, Red began to walk. She let her feet take her wherever they pleased, just kind of glad at the prospect of finally getting out. Reaching for the cargo pocket on her side, she felt around for the little wallet she had. It was filled with some lien from Cinder and Roman, given to her on the day they'd brought her back. She figured she would go out and maybe hit the town a bit, see if she could find anything to do. She very well had the means for it.

_What is the matter, Little Rose?_

_Oh, it's nothing. I'm just... I think that was pretty rude of me. I'm glad that they're thinking of me when they tell me to stay in, but I can't help but feel so stuffed up in there!_

_It is your choice where you go, Little Rose. Even if you care for them, and they you, they don't have the right nor the power to control you._

_Yeah, I guess._

Continuing on her way, Red came to the center of Vale's activities. A rather largely sized district full of shops and the like, Red had a plethora of possibilities laid out before her. It's just that she didn't really even know what she wanted to do. She could maybe grab something to eat, or watch some movies or something. Maybe go and buy a videogame? She was honestly unsure. All she knew was that she wanted to walk around a bit. So maybe she'd try all three.

* * *

"Cinder, I think we should take more precautions when dealing with that little girl now. She may be rather passive, and seem like a zombie at times, but there's something seriously wrong with her. She's dangerous!"

"I know Roman!" Cinder, who'd been pacing restlessly had growled at her classy ally. After Red had left earlier, Cinder had finished business up with her guests immediately. Promising to finish planning and preparing the next day, she sent them away. Neither Roman, nor their guests, were aware of quite how much the earlier events had shaken her up. Those eyes are wrong. Unnatural, an aberration. Cinder wanted the strength that lay in those eyes, but also feared what lurked beneath the clear silver pools.

"Cinder? Cinder!" Leaving Roman behind, Cinder walked out of the Hub and went straight to her own quarters. Falling back into her bed, she let herself simply think about what she was dealing with. Red was not normal, that much was brutally freaking obvious. She was human, from what Cinder could gather, but not fully human. In the few days she'd known Red, she had exhibited characteristics of a wild animal. Canines that were longer than average, senses that seem to be able to trace the slightest of movements or sounds, amazingly good sense of smell, as well as her finger nails looking distinctly white as though painted. And with small, almost unnoticeable red markings, similar to a Grimm's plates.

All these things made Cinder think about scenarios that, at any other time, she'd have laughed at and called ludicrous. Red, just what if she was some aorta of Hybrid? Not human, but a hybrid of human and Grimm. Ridiculous, but at this point, believable. Sighing, Cinder let herself calm down enough to enter the throes of sleep. Maybe after a nap she'd figure something out.

* * *

While Cinder slept, a certain blonde male and his friends were discussing where their next move would be taking them. After spending the night camped near the site of the brutal Beowolf massacre allegedly committed by Ruby, the gang had regrouped in the morning and done a more thorough investigation.

It became obvious after a while that what had attacked the seemingly alone person was a group of between nine to a dozen Beowolves, all fully grown going by the size of the tracks. The Grimm had first surrounded the mystery person, and tried to corner them and wear them down. A few attacked, and were swiftly beaten. This was made evident by the few corpses that surrounded where the lone set of human prints were. After that, it seems that a few more were killed, and the chase began. The creatures were then caught one by one, each one killed in a way that seemed to ignore any sort of aesthetics. It was simple, brutal, and horrid killing. Impaled in the head by their own spikes, holes torn in their bodies, limbs thrown about, and even a bisected severed head. They worried that if this mystery person was indeed the missing Ruby that whatever was affecting her was gaining more control.

After finishing their investigation of the battles, they followed the sets of prints, accompanied by what seemed to be two other pairs of human prints, until they disappeared. Probably a dust powered air transport ship, they reasoned. With their findings, the group returned to Beacon to report in to Professor Ozpin. All collectively gathered in the Headmaster's office, they, along with a few other trusted teachers, went over the collected information. Opinions ranged from sending out full-fledged hunters to kill whatever creature did the evisceration, to attempting to capture and cage the person. Some even suggested that, if it were Ruby, cautions be taken and extra members to the team should be added to safely return her to Beacon. The debating raged on for a couple of days, continuing on even to this one. Over in another room, the remnants of RWBY, and team JNPR were hang their own discussion.

"This is bullshit! We're stuck here while those damn greeters argue about what to do with this mystery person. Meanwhile, my baby sister's still out there!"

Yang, being the most affected by this situation, was on the verge of going berserk. Even being a fledgling huntress, she could still do some major damage to the campus, students, and even an instructor should they not be prepared for her wrath. As such, the others had been spending time trying to keep her calm and collected, preventing the possible ensuing fit of berserker rage.

"Calm down Yang. For now, there's nothing we can do."

"Ren is right. We have to do what we can, but what we can do is just so limited."

"That's the problem," Yang spit at Pyrrha. Her temper was beginning to flare again.

"Calm down you big brute! Your yelling and raging won't solve anything. We should act like normal in the meantime until something comes up. Professor Ozpin has already promised to inform us ahold anything hopes immediately via scroll."

Jaune, watching this conversation with disinterest, began to get up from his seat, hoping to get out and find some fresh air.

"Where are you going, Vomit Boy?"

"Listen Yang. Weiss is right, there isn't much we can do right now. All we can do is just wait for news."

With that ironclad logic before her, Yang cooled down. When she'd finally gotten down to a sensible level, the group decided to go out and grab a bite in Vale. Taking the first airship down to the town, the group went over a nice diner they all knew. The little place was known for their amazing cheeseburgers, and strawberry cheesecake. Grabbing their seats, the group sat down to order, unaware of the cruel joke fate was playing on them.

* * *

After having seen a movie at a nearby theater, and picking up a new DustStation Vita and a copy of Edgelands 2, along with the DLC content, Red decided she was hungry. Sadly, not really knowing too many places to eat around, she just aimlessly wandered for a bit. Everywhere she went, she went unnoticed. After all, her quirky innocent charm, which could capture many a boy's hearts, was hidden along with her face, under a large red hood. Looking around from under her hood, she finally saw a place that seemed good. _Dust to Dust_ was the name of the place. It seemed like a small diner.

Going in, Red grabbed a seat in the back. Sitting down, a waitress came over and set down a glass of water. Giving her order, Red decided on a cheeseburger with no tomatoes, a chocolate milkshake, and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Taking her menu, the waitress left to go put in her order. Behind her, Red could hear another group coming in. Not even bothering to take a look, she patiently awaited her food. The group behind her ordered their food, and engaged in chitchat, their volume growing ever higher. Her food arriving, Red decided to ignore them, and focus on satisfying the hunger claiming her. But behind her, she could still hear bits of the conversation.

"Didn't know you were a fan of strawberry."

"Well, it's a taste that anyone would pick up after spending their entire life with Ruby."

_. . . Ruby?_

***Author's Note***

**Aaaand, end of chapter. Hey, Dravyn here. Just had some free time, and the idea for continuing the story came to me. Capitalizing on it, I decided to bang this chapter out while I had some time. It wasn't too hard to write either, which also surprised me. Usually I just go along with whatever random things my brain pulls out of nowhere, with a little thought added to the process. This, since my brain is like a fifty year old computer, takes a while due to pauses and lag. But this one I could write fluidly and swiftly, which was a pleasant change. Kinda like the early chapters of Love is a Knight-mare. Good times.**

**Anyhow, you all know the deal. Comment, either love or constructive criticism. Any and all hate will be redirected to Goodwitch, who will give two months of detention to any and all persons who send me hate. So, if you wanna be cleaning black hoards while Port drones on about his youth, go for it. Otherwise, see ya all next time.**


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